The Safety in the Catch
by methehuman91
Summary: Brennan brings Booth to Australia with her in an effort to cheer him up after his break up with Hannah. It's Christmastime, they've a case to solve, and they're in Australia. The dynamic duo is back – along with a whole lot of sexual tension.
1. Chapter 1

Synopsis: Brennan brings Booth to Australia with her in an effort to cheer him up after his break up with Hannah. It's Christmastime, they've a case to solve, and they're in Australia. The dynamic duo is back – along with a whole lot of sexual tension.

AN: Set after the sixth season, and sort of pretending whatever happens in the sixth season isn't happening because I live in Australia and Channel 7 is being cruel and unusual and showed us the first 3-4 episodes of the sixth and then decided 'hey, wouldn't it be a great idea if we showed re-runs from season four!' And Bones fan scream 'noooo' but those TV executives did not hear our cry. Hope you enjoy the story – the idea came from me trying to write a story about the two in America, and then I realised I know nothing about America. And I mean, Oprah is here, why not Booth and Brennan? Please mind my lack of knowledge about FBI procedure, Sydney Justice Department Procedure, and also forensic procedure. Obviously my forensic anthropology knowledge is extremely limited, so the dénouement of the story is probably going to be Brennan going 'A-HA! The victim was stabbed by someone LEFT HANDED! Therefore, Suspect #1 did it, as they are left handed! Case solved!' So don't crucify me for it, you've been forewarned! And now, too the story!

Oh, and italics mean that it's the thought of either Brennan or Booth, and whose thought it is should be obvious by the placement of it in the story.

FR: T, and maybe M for later chapters. We'll see how the story progresses.

* * *

**Chapter One: The Surprise in the Pocket**

She stood outside his office for a moment, watching him closely. Ever since he'd broken up with Hannah, he'd looked so... dejected, like he'd lost something precious. While she tended not to be one for the use of metaphor, she couldn't help but think he looked like a lost puppy. She hoped her news would help to cheer him up. She walked into the office, standing before him. He looked up and his face broke into a smile, almost all traces of sadness gone. She had previously noticed that she seemed to have this affect on him, and it made her happy to know that just her presence could seemingly have such a positive effect on him, though she didn't really know why. She used to understand Booth so well, and now things seemed so unclear. She shrugged, reminding herself that she wasn't here to mull over Booth's mood.

'I've been invited to Australia, Booth.'

His smile faltered, and then disappeared. Again, he looked like a puppy. That had been kicked.

'What? I thought you were happy here! Now you're leaving again? Now, of all times?' He stood up, coming around from behind his desk to stand before her, looking hurt. 'Is this another Mamaluka thing? Gees, Bones, I thought you'd decided your talents were best used fighting crime.'

'It was the Maluku Islands, Booth. And I am happy here!' She said, looking confused at his reaction.

'Then why are you leaving?' His brown eyes bore into hers, looking somewhat betrayed. 'I thought things were good between us. I thought... you know. With Hannah gone, things could go back to normal.' He looked at her wistfully, the look of loss returning to his face. Brennan peered at him intently, confused by his reaction but also the emotion on his face. She shrugged, crossing her arms.

'Booth... Hannah's leaving has nothing to do with me being invited to Australia. And things were normal between us with Hannah here.' Brennan paused, hearing the slight falter in her voice. She really was terrible at lying. 'You know I'm saddened by both of you breaking up. I liked Hannah, and I hate to see you so sad.' Brennan's voice had softened, and she leaned forward to pat Booth on the arm, somewhat awkwardly. 'And I know you've been going through a hard time, but I don't understand you're rather emotional reaction to this news. Don't you like Australia?'

He leaned back, sitting on his desk. 'Wether I like Australia has nothing to do with it, Bones! Didn't you think about how I'd feel? You're my partner! I know things haven't been so great between us, lately, but...you could have at least talked to me about it.'

She saw the hurt on his face, and she felt it as if it were her own pain. She didn't understand his aversion to Australia. Maybe it had something to do with Hannah? Maybe it had been her favourite place to visit? Maybe they'd be planning to go there? She didn't usually guess like this, but she felt that logically, there could be no other explanation, considering the circumstances. She sighed, pulling the plane tickets out of her jacket pocket.

Booth was looking at her face in disbelief, before he noticed the two tickets. She held out her hand, offering them too him. He took them, looking them over.

'I can tell my friend in Australia that I won't be coming. I realise now I should have asked you if you wanted to go, before making all these arrangements. I'd asked the FBI if they would allow you to assist me, despite their being no FBI jurisdiction in Australia, obviously, and they said the best they could do was two weeks with paid leave - but only because you'd never taken a Christmas break at your time at the FBI, and they would consider this your holiday as opposed to paid work.' She paused, her eyes sad. 'I'd just wanted to give you a nice surprise, Booth. I thought you might have appreciated a trip away, even if you were working. I see now that surprises are not really my thing. I should have just been forthright with you to avoid all this hassle. I apologise.'

Booth hadn't spoken, but he looked up from the tickets when she extended her hand towards them. He handed one back to her, looking intently at the other.

'This is my name, Bones. On a first class ticket.' He looked up at her, smiling tentatively, though his eyes were alight.

'Well, the flight to Australia is a very long one, and I know you hate flying coach. It was part of the surprise,' she said, looking at him with a frown. He didn't look upset now. She couldn't imagine his negative reaction about going to Australia had been simply about how he was going to get there?

_The flight isn't__** that**_ _long._

'Bones, you're amazing! This is _just _what I need for me to kick the blues!' He jumped up off his desk, his arms outstretched. He grabbed Brennan, kissing her on the cheek before his brain really registered what he was doing. He hugged her tightly for one moment before letting her go; clearing his throat.

She looked at him with appraising eyes. She had a slight smile on her face – she was glad that he was happy, now, but was still confused as to what exactly was going on.

'Booth, I'm confused. So, you're happy to come to Australia, but only because you're flying first class?'

He looked at her, surprised. 'What? No!'

'Then I fail to see why you suddenly changed your mind about coming with me to Australia.'

He hid a smile, before turning around to go and sit back down, resting his feet on the desk.

'Brennan, the surprise is great. Perfect, in fact. I love you for it.' He cleared his throat again, looking uncomfortable for a moment. 'But you really need to improve on how you _tell_ people your surprises.'

Brennan squinted her eyes, still trying to understand. Booth laughed quietly, looking at her and grinning.

'Bones, you told me that _you'd _been invited to Australia, and you didn't say how long you would be going for. You also failed to say you were planning on taking _me_ along with you, so I thought you meant that you'd been invited to Australia and you wouldn't be coming back for awhile. I thought you were leaving me again.' He shook his head, looking at her. Brennan smiled with the realisation, nodding her head.

'I see how that might have concerned you. But, you know, I blame you for the confusion. For one, I _was _getting to that. I was trying to construct up your expectations –'

'Build, Bones. Build up.' He corrected, leaning back in his chair.

'Right. I was trying to _build up_ your expectation, then. I think it's you that ruined the surprise.' She paused again, putting her hands on her hips. 'And why would you think I'd leave you? Especially, as you said, at a time like this. Honestly Booth, you don't put enough faith in me. I would never leave you, not when you're so sad.' She said, looking annoyed.

Booth looked taken aback. 'I'm not _that _sad!' He muttered, crossing his arms and looking at her.

_At least, I'm not that sad about what you think I'm sad about._

He wasn't sad, not really. Certainly not as sad as he probably should be after a break up. Breaking up with Hannah had hurt, without doubt. He had loved her, and she'd loved him; but it was in some sort of hollow way, like both their hearts weren't truly in it. He wished his had been, because Hannah was amazing, everything a man could want in a woman. That's what he'd told himself, at any rate, and when he was in Afghanistan, he could believe it. But when he came home, and was back working with _his _Bones again, it got harder and harder to tell himself those things. And then Hannah was offered some amazing adventure, and she told him that she loved him, but he wasn't reason enough to stay. And he couldn't argue with her. Her absence and the reason why she left just brought his attention to the fact that he was never going to get over the woman that had just bought him first class tickets to Australia to cheer him up because he was broken hearted over _her, _and probably doomed to a life alone because of her commitment issues and his inability to move on.

Brennan interrupted his thoughts.

'You look sad again, Booth. Are you sure you want to come to Australia with me?' she looked at him closely, wondering if he was just trying to be nice to her but agreeing to come.

Booth shook himself, as if trying to shake the negative thoughts from his head. He and Brennan were going to Australia – alone. While he knew that nothing was about to happen while they were overseas, the thought of two weeks with Brennan made him happy, even if they'd be somewhat excruciating for him.

_Really no more excruciating than things already are, though._

'Course I want to come with you, Bones.' He grinned at her, before clapping his hands together. 'So, what's the case we'll be working on?'

I'll update soon :) Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

As Angela would say, awkward! I can't believe I left and editing note in the last chapter - I had meant to go and find the name of the place Brennan went to in between the fifth and sixth season but then forgot! Awkward. Still, not as bad as doing the same sort of things on papers for Uni... which I've totally never done ;)

Thank you for the reviews, and for kindly not tearing me apart on my massive error! Very kind people :) Hope you enjoy the next chapter, and that their aren't gaping big mistakes in it! The sexual tension is building as well - a slower and more explosive burn is what I'm hoping to achieve.

**Chapter Two: The Innocence in the Lover**

Brennan and Angela watched as Booth gave Parker a big hug, telling him that he would most definitely be home for Christmas, and he just needed to help Bones with a case 'from a land down under.'

'You love that song, don't you, Parker?' Booth kissed him on the forehead. Parker nodded, smiling.

Angela and Brennan grinned at each other, before Angela reached over to give her a big hug.

'This is such a nice thing of you to do, Brennan.'

'Well, he's an old friend, and I haven't seen him for a very long time. He seemed to be in need of assistance, so I thought I'd murder two birds with one stone. Plus,' she said, looking pointedly at Booth, 'I think that this little trip is working wonders for Booth. He already seems more like his old self.'

Angela hugged Brennan again, before letting her go. She still wondered how her genius best friend could be so thick when it came to matters of the heart.

'Have fun, sweetie. Go catch the Aussie murderer – and make sure you look after yourself.'

'I will, Ange. Though, we don't yet know if the victims were killed by an Australian. You know how I don't like conjecture.'

'Sure, sweetie, sure.' Angela shook her head, before turning to Booth, and wrapping him in a huge hug.

'Have fun, Booth. Let's hope the Australian sun helps Brennan see things more clearly.' She whispered, giving him a knowing look. He smiled back at her, holding her at arm's length.

'I have no idea what you mean,' He said.

The last boarding call sounded over the airport speakers, and Brennan walked over to Booth, carrying a small bag. Smiling broadly at one another, they walked off to the ticket counter, and turned to wave at Angela, Parker and the team one last time, before disappearing into the terminal.

'You know,' Sweets said as they each turned to walk away, Parker hand in hand with Angela, 'I've pretty much given up on those two ever getting together. But something feels a bit different this time, doesn't it?'

The team looked at each other, smiling.

'We can only hope, Sweets.' Hodgins said, before adding. 'You wouldn't be averse to making a bet on it, would you?'

* * *

'Ooh, Bones.' Booth sighed, reclining in his chair. 'This, Bones, this is the life.' He sat up slightly, smiling at her. 'This is the best Christmas present you could have possibly gotten me,'

_Well, almost the best. _

Brennan looked at him, smiling at his happiness. 'This wasn't intended as a Christmas present, Booth. But if you are content with this trip, then I won't get you anything more. But remember you'll be working, while we're in Australia, so it won't all be fun. I'm so used to your help with cases; I don't think I could solve one without you, much as I hate to admit.'

'Thanks, Bones. ' He smiled at her, before re-adjusting his chair into the upright position. 'So, run through the case with me again. And tell me more about your friend; I want to know more about the guy if we're going to be shacking up with him while we're in Australia.'

'Okay, well I'd prefer to tell you about the case first, if you don't mind.' She said, looking pensive.

'Sure Bones, course I don't mind.' He said, waving the airhostess down and grabbing a glass of champagne of her for himself and Brennan. 'But first, a toast to you. For being the best partner a man could ever have.' He raised his glass to her and she smiled her twinkly smile at him. They clinked their glasses, and each took sips.

A rogue thought passed through Brennan's mind before she could stop it.

_I wonder if he realises how happy I am without Hannah around._

She instantly berated herself for the thought. Here she was – having just shared a toast with the man who had lauded her as the best partner, and she was happy about his sadness, his broken heart. She was a terrible partner. But she couldn't help but enjoy having him all to herself – she had felt so Booth-deprived while Hannah was around, and now she had him all too herself again, just like old times.

Booth was looking at her inquisitively.

'So, um, the case?'

'Right, yes, sorry, just got caught up in my own thoughts.' She reached down for her handbag and pulled out a case report. Before she could speak, Booth interrupted her.

'What were you thinking about?' He asked, looking at her over the top of his champagne glass as he took another sip.

She paused for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to tell him how much it meant to her, him coming out to Australia, that they were going to spend the next few weeks together, alone. She surmised it would probably be inappropriate, since he was only really coming to get over his love for Hannah.

'Nothing of importance,' she said, before opening up the report.

'Okay, so the case involves two young students of my friend, Al, who went missing six months ago. It was assumed that they had run away together, as they had both been a couple. But two months ago, their bodies were found together at a dump. They'd been stabbed to death.'

'It seems like a pretty run of the mill crime, Bones. Hardly worth our expertise.' Booth commented, holding his hand out for the file. She passed it to him, and he opened it up, looking it over.

'Well, I haven't quite told you the whole story, I suppose, Booth. See, my friend Al, he was the prime suspect.'

Booth looked at her, surprised. 'That's sort of vital information there, Bones.'

'I suppose I was just trying to protect him.' She said, looking somewhat sheepish. Booth was surprised – it was hardly her normal 'rational' behaviour. 'I didn't want you to jump to conclusions about him.'

'Well, what if it turns out that your friend, Al, was it? Is the murderer?' Booth asked, taking the last swill of champagne from his glass, trying to come to terms with the fact he might be staying with a murderer over the next two weeks.

'He assured me of his innocence, and the reason he asked for my assistance is due to the fact that the case has reached a dead end. Though it may seem like a run of the mill case to us, Booth, perhaps there isn't a crime solving duo like ours in Sydney.' Brennan said, casting him a smile.

'So do you think he's innocent?' Booth asked. He assumed he would give her a vague answer, something about not jumping to conclusions without all the evidence.

'I admit that the case against him is quite... incriminating. But the evidence is all circumstantial, none of it hard. He's the prime – the only suspect. He had sexual allegations made against him by the female victim, just three days prior to their disappearance. The attack against the two victims was one of rage, according to the report, and the male showed signs of defence wounds, as if he had lay across the female to try and keep her safe. The Australian forensics calculated the attack would have been committed by someone of Al's size, with a generalised weapon such as a kitchen knife which they described as 'impossible to trace.' Al has no alibi, and was seen arguing with the couple a few hours prior to their disappearance. The main issue is the fact there is no other suspect, and though he has not been convicted, people are treating him as though he is a criminal.' She looked at him, somewhat conflicted.

'You still didn't tell me – do you think he did it? I mean, it doesn't sound good. Sexual assault charges? We've both seen people kill for less.'

She sighed, pausing before she responded. 'I don't think he did it, Booth. I know Al very well; we were incredibly close, years ago.' She paused, a twinkle in her eye. 'Almost as close as you and I,'

'And just as I would never suspect you of murder, Booth, I couldn't expect the same of him. And while that may seem like jumping to conclusions, I think I have enough evidence of his character to know he wouldn't do anything such as this. I say the same for the sexual assault allegations.' She paused again, looking reminiscent. 'He certainly wouldn't resort to sexual assault; he had enough charm to get by quite well.' She thought for a moment, and added, as if an afterthought – 'and he's been married for ten years, anyway.'

Booth looked at her, curious as to how close they had been.

'When you say almost as close as us, what do you mean by that? How close where you?'

She smiled, taking her last sip of champagne.

'Well, Al and I went to the same University, we both did our undergraduate degrees together. He was the first friend I made who was the same age as me. We spent four years extremely close, we eventually moved in together. I've never been in a relationship as long as the one I had with Al,' she looked at Booth, surprised to see a look of incredulity on his face.

'You were together for _four years?' _He breathed, trying to hide his jealousy.

_I thought she couldn't commit to relationships! Four years, at that age? Gees, Booth, all this fear of commitment is just a way for her to let you down easy!_

A small voice at the back of his head reminded him of something she'd just said, though.

_She still wasn't as close to him as she is to you_.

The thought gave him some hope.

She laughed. 'No Booth, I was with him for just under six months. That's not to say he hadn't been trying to use his charm on me for the entirety of our friendship – he told me he had loved me since the second semester where I had corrected one of our ancient professors.' She paused, smiling at the memory. 'But in the end it took a bottle of wine and his rather amazing sexual expertise for me to give the relationship a chance.'

Booth couldn't help but feel a swell of jealousy, even if it was for a relationship that had happened more than ten years ago. 'Sounds like the perfect guy,' he said, somewhat sarcastically, but Brennan didn't pick up on it.

She smiled, somewhat sadly. 'He was wonderful. He was good to me, he made me laugh, and all those things people say are important for a relationship. But in the end, I wasn't enough for him. I couldn't give him what he wanted.'

The words sounded familiar to him, almost echoes of what she had told him when he'd asked her if she wanted to give it a try. Is that where those fears had come from? Already he didn't think much of this 'Al' character. If he was stupid enough to let Temperance go...

'He broke up with you?' He asked, wanting to verify the fact before he got his hate on.

'No, I saw the relationship wasn't going anywhere. I knew that he loved me, but... I didn't think I loved him back.' She looked at Booth, smiling at him sadly. 'But now that you've taught me about love, I think that I did, you know. Love him. I passed it all off as youthful hormones, serotonin in the brain, all those scientific reasons. I thought that being with me was cruel to him. Though I was happy, I wasn't sure if _he _was as happy as he could have been. And I was right, in the end.'

'How could you possibly know that, Bones?'

Booth had firsthand experience about how her assumptions could hurt.

She looked at him with her clear blue eyes, gazing directly into his.

'He fell in love with an Australian exchange student soon after we broke up. Once he had finished his degree, they married and he went back to Australia with her. He said that while he had loved me – that he'd always love me; he told me himself that I'd been right. Like you, he agreed that there is someone out there for all of us, and while he had believed that he had found that in me, he was wrong. He found that in Sarah.'

Booth nodded, sitting back in his chair. He wondered if she was trying to tell him something, convince him of something – that she wasn't the one for him. He wanted to tell her that he'd tried so hard to believe that; for both their sakes. He wanted to tell her that he never would believe anything except that she was meant for him - and him her.

Instead, he changed the topic back to their previous conversation. 'So you think he's innocent. On all charges?'

'I do.'

'Well, I'll have to get a feel for the guy, but I guess I trust your word after all this time, Bones,' he said, winking at her. She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

'You do realise that your authority in Sydney is going to be somewhat limited? You won't be able to carry a gun or request warrants, for a start...' She sounded a bit sheepish again, looking at him nervously.

He couldn't help but feel that without his FBI badge he was probably going to be fairly useless too her. 'Gees Bones, what am I without that stuff? I'll barely help at all.'

She looked surprised. 'Booth, you're so much more than just your badge, or your FBI status. Your case solving is generally a result of your skills and your _own _talents. That's why I wanted you to come.'

_And I would have missed you too much._

'What sorts of authority do you have then, Bones?'

She now grinned, looking kind of smug. 'Well, the Sydney Justice Department is flattered that such a renowned forensic anthropologist wants to assist them in a case, so I will be allowed to arrest, interrogate, and have access to all of their resources.'

'You did tell them of your personal connection, right?'

'I did. I had to resort to recommendations from Cam and Sweets – even your boss. I'm also being assigned a D.I. whom will work with me every step of the way to make sure I keep everything professional.'

With mention that she was going to be assigned another partner, Booth felt even more undermined.

'Bones! I'm seriously feeling that there is no reason for me to be here with you!'

She looked somewhat hurt, and Booth regretted his words. While he hadn't meant it in any way other than 'wow, I feel pretty redundant', he could see how they could be misconstrued.

'I didn't mean it like that, Bones... do they even know I'm coming?'

She smiled, though still looked a little wounded. 'Course they do, Booth. I told them that I was a package deal – take one of us, you have to take us both.'

He felt happier at that thought. 'Thanks,' he said, smiling.

They remained quiet for a moment, before she reclined her chair, sitting back and pulling out a scientific journal from her handbag, opening it up to an article she had dog eared. Booth considered her for a moment, before opening up the case file.

He read over it, considering the evidence. She'd been right – though the evidence against Al didn't _sound _good, it certainly wasn't enough to convict. But it would be enough to destroy a man's life.

He looked at the picture of Brennan's ex. Booth could see that he was an attractive man, piercing blue eyes not dissimilar from Brennan's. He was tall, athletic - a golden boy, with dimpled cheeks and a cheeky grin. Booth couldn't help but compare himself the man, and wondered, if in Brennan's eyes, if he came up short.

He looked back to Brennan, who was frowning at something she was reading, as if she disagreed with it. He smiled, putting the file in the pocket on the seat in front of him and waved down the air hostess for another drink. He had a reasonable sized plasma TV in front of him, a games controller, and an endless supply of alcohol. He liked to think he could be deep, but sometimes, he really did just enjoy the simple things in life.

He nudged Brennan, who looked up at him.

'Want to play video games with me, Bones?' He asked, giving her his mischievous smile.

She pursed her lips before shaking her head and laughing.

'Well, I have to admit that playing video games with you may well be more thought provoking than this ridiculous article. I don't know _how _they justify putting a psychology article in what I _thought _was a reputable science magazine.'

Booth rolled his eyes, picking up her controller and handing it too her.

'Let's kill some zombies.'

She smiled at him, before turning to face the screen. Booth grinned at her 'efforts' to help him eradicate the zombies that were taking over the streets, and when he stole a quick glance at her, he was surprised to find her looking straight back at him, a smile playing on her lips.

'This is nice, Booth.'

He didn't say anything. The way she had smiled at him had dulled the sense of loss, the feeling that he had screwed everything up with her.

Just for awhile, but for now, it was enough.

* * *

Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the readership and reviews! This chapter isn't _too_ exciting - just introductory of Al and his family so you can get a feel for them, so that's the focus as opposed to Brennan and Booth. Hope you enjoy regardless!

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Pain in the Smile**

'So, have you been to Australia before, Bones?' Booth asked, lugging his large suitcase behind and carrying the large winter jacket he had worn onto the plane. The air was hot here, and he was glad he hadn't layered up in DC.

'I have. There have been some amazing anthropological finds, and the Aboriginal communities here are remarkable. Their culture is beautiful - mystical even to me.' She smiled at him. 'I've definitely had some great times here. Have you been before, Booth?'

He shook his head. 'Nope, first time for me.'

'I hope you enjoy yourself here. We can try and do some sightseeing, if you like.'

They left customs and headed out into the terminal.

'Maybe after we absolve your friend of all charges, eh?' He said, before nodding his head into the distance – a tall, blonde man stood waving at Brennan. She looked in the direction Booth had nodded, and grinned broadly, speeding up her pace. Booth kept up with her, watching as Al kissed whom he assumed was his wife on the head, before leaning down to whisper to two children, pointing at Brennan. They both reached the family, and Al enveloped Brennan in a tight hug.

'Thank you so much for coming, Tempe! It's been so long.'

Booth and the wife each stood off to the sides, smiling tentatively at each other. The children looked up at their father curiously.

'Too long, Al. I really should come here more often.'

He released her from his grips, smiling at her broadly. 'You always say that. And then it's another five years before I see you again!' They laughed with each other for a moment, exchanging small talk, before Al turned to Booth, Brennan turning to Al's wife. It seemed there was no jealousy between the two women, which Booth was glad of.

'You must be Seeley Booth!' He extended his hand to Booth, who took it.

'That I am. It's nice to meet you, Alexander.'

He laughed, his eyes alight. 'Please, Seeley, call me Al. Everyone does.'

'Sure, Al.' Booth looked at the two small children – both girls.

'You know, Bones failed to mention you had children.'

'Bones?' He laughed, nodding his head and leaning down to put his arms around the two girls. 'What an apt nickname.' He looked up at Booth. 'And yes, unsurprising that Tempe failed to tell you about my kids. Probably didn't think it pertinent to the case.' He rolled his eyes, but remained smiling.

_For an accused murderer with his life in turmoil, this guy is damn cheerful._

'This is Josephine,' he said, standing up and putting his hand on the head of the curly, dark haired girl. 'And this is Elizabeth,' he said, his hand now on the younger, blonde girl. 'But we all call her Ella.'

Booth kneeled down so he was face to face with the girls, extending his hand. Both shook it tentatively, but didn't say anything.

'They're very shy,' Al said, shaking his head. 'Until you get to know them, of course. Then you'll be lucky for a moment's silence.'

Booth nodded. 'I have a son, about Josephine's age. He used to be similar, but he grew out of it.'

He stood up, turning his attention to the wife of Al. She was beautiful, with gentle green eyes and an olive complexion. She too was quite tall, and slender. She smiled at Booth, extending her hand.

'Hello. It's very nice to meet you, Seeley. We greatly appreciate you accompanying Temperance so far from home to try and assist our family. I'm Sarah.' She was soft spoken, her Australian accent not obvious, but still apparent.

'It's not a problem. I'm glad to get out of the states, in fact.' He felt comfortable with this family, and he definitely didn't get the feeling that Al was the type for murder. And he usually trusted his gut.

He stood back a moment, looking at the family as they exchanged pleasantry's, shared jokes that he didn't understand, and just talked. The atmosphere was light, like any happy reunion – he didn't get the feeling that this meeting had any sort of dark element at all.

Despite the warmth he felt for the family, the fact that everything was so... _peachy _just didn't sit right with him. He decided to remain wary - he didn't want to suspect Al of anything... but there was still that 'but' in his head.

'So,' Al said warmly, 'shall we take you two to our humble abode? You must be absolutely exhausted.'

'That would be great, Al. Though I'm not too tired, and I doubt Booth is, either. We're used to a pretty erratic sleeping schedule.' Brennan said, picking up her bag and carrying it behind her.

'Ah yes, your crime fighting ways would certainly result in many a long night, I'm sure.' Al laughed. 'You know, Tempe, I would have never have picked you for something as _dramatic _as a forensic anthropologist. You always seemed so happy in the lab.'

She nodded, grinning back at him. 'I can't say I ever imagined it for myself, either. But Booth showed me a different side of anthropology – and so many other things.'

She glanced back at Booth, and gave him the same look that had warmed him on the plane, made him hope. Maybe the Australian sun was making _him _see things clearer.

The moment passed and she looked back at Al, nudging him in the side. 'I can't say I ever imagined _you _working in a job as boring as a Professor, Al,' she joked. 'Tell, me, have you had any students correct you, yet?'

A look of pain uncharacteristic to Al's face crossed his features before disappearing, carefully covered by his seemingly carefree smile. 'Just the one,' he said quietly.

Booth figured that that one student had been one of the victims, but he doubted that Brennan would pick up on it. He tensed himself, getting ready to butt into their conversation if things got a bit awkward. Too his surprise, she just nodded, changing the conversation to other aspects of his teaching career.

_Seems she does know him really well._

Booth looked at Sarah, who also wore a look of pain on her face, not as well hidden as Al's. He struck up a conversation with her, asking about her time in America, figuring that was at least some common ground between them.

The well hidden pain had made Booth wonder. It hadn't seemed like the pain of one who hated that he'd been accused of a crime and was suffering for it. That sort of pain looked angrier, more aggressive. Yet the pain he had seen appeared more filled with grief, as if they had lost someone close. It felt too him like there was more to the story of the two victims than he had been told.

_Guess it's my job to find that story out._

_

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_Thanks for reading!_  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Again, a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope that you'll find it enjoyable! Thanks for the reviews, they really make my day :)

Oh, and if you live in L.A., I mean no offence! I know nothing about L.A. but what I've seen on TV, but I mean the passing comment only facetiously.

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**Chapter 4: The Hotel in the Room**

Booth really, really liked Sydney. So far he'd just seen it from the back seat of Al's car, but that was enough for him to tell that it was a beautiful city. It reminded him a bit of L.A., but the sun seemed brighter, the water sparkled like diamonds, and the people seemed...

_Less plastic._

The car ride from Sydney airport too Al's home was apparently a short one, though there was a fair amount of traffic.

'Bloody Christmas rush,' Sarah grumbled, reaching out to put her hand on Al's knee.

'Be calm, dear. No swearing in front of the kids.' He said, mock sternly, though he couldn't hide his smile. The children were in the back with Brennan and Booth, talking quietly amongst themselves. They hadn't noticed their mother swearing, or, seemingly, the tension between their two co-passengers.

Bones and Booth were sandwiched together, sitting at such a close proximity that if Booth did anything _but _look out the window he felt himself, too his own embarrassment, feeling a little hot under the collar. He noticed that Brennan seemed indifferent, smiling benignly in between her sporadic conversations with Al and Sarah.

Unbeknownst to him, she herself was feeling a little out of sorts, wishing that maybe one of the children had been placed between them, in order to give her racing heart a rest. She felt so idiotic – she felt that her own _body _was being irrational. She almost laughed at the thought. But she couldn't shake off her racing heart or the electric tingles she felt from where their skin met.

_Grow up!_

All of a sudden she leaned over him to look out the window, pointing at the Sydney Opera House. 'I heard the most beautiful symphony there, when I was last visiting. I'll have to take you, Booth.'

Though operas or... symphony's weren't really his thing, he wasn't about to say no. Plus, his mind felt a little addled from the sensation of where her hand had just been positioned as she had leaned over him.

_God, Seeley. Get a grip._

She leaned back, grinning at him. 'So, what is your first impression of Sydney, Booth?'

He looked outside for a moment, taking in the view of the expansive city.

'It's great, Bones. Though, I'm finding it hard to believe its Christmastime, with all this sun.'

He heard Al laugh in the front seat. 'It does take a bit of getting used to, Seeley. But Australian Christmas's certainly have their charms.'

'Do you guys still eat turkey and ham and everything else?' Booth asked, curious.

Bones spoke up. 'Booth is a Christmas tragic.'

Al smiled. 'As am I! And most Australians. It's the best time of the year... family, friends, and of course, all the traditional food. I must say though, it tastes rather different when it's forty degrees outside.'

Booth looked momentarily confused, looking at Brennan inquisitively.

'Forty degrees Celsius, Booth.' She whispered quietly.

_Why can't everyone just speak American?_

Al looked at them in the rear-view mirror. 'So, you fine people are not staying for Christmas, am I right?'

'That is correct,' Brennan said, shifting in her seat. 'Booth has to be home in time for Christmas, to spend with his son.'

Al nodded, turning his eyes back to the road. He had just turned into a driveway, and now, before they approached a large double story house.

It was an older house surrounded by mostly modern looking homes. The garden was beautiful, filled with an array of plants of which many Booth had never seen. The house was decorated with strings of Christmas lights, and Booth imagined that it would look absolutely beautiful at night.

The car pulled into the garage, and they emptied out. Standing outside the house, Al opened his arms wide. 'Welcome to our home!' He gestured to a door to his right, next to the garage. 'This is where you will both be staying, we've set the guest room up nice and hotel like.' He winked. 'The girls had a ball setting it up,' he said, smiling at each of his children.

Al walked forward, opening the door. Booth and Brennan both followed him, stepping into the room underneath the house. It was quite spacious, and had indeed been set up like a hotel room. There was a mini-fridge and a small portable television, and towels had been set out with mini chocolates on them.

To Booth's relief, there were two beds. One a fold out double bed, another a small single bed wedged up against a wall. As much as it was his fantasy to share a bed with Brennan, he doubted he'd get all that much sleep if she was right there next to him. It has been hard enough thinking straight in the car – he hated to think what would happen if he had been forced to sleep with her.

_Well, that just sounded wrong._

Brennan too, was relieved that she wouldn't have to share a bed with Booth. She wondered which bed she _should _take – the double fold out would probably be bad for his back, but perhaps he prefers to spread out at night? She smiled at the thought of Booth spread eagled on a bed, snoring. It seemed like it would be how he would sleep.

Booth interrupted her thoughts.

'Thank you for the lovely room, girls,' Booth said, smiling down at them. They smiled tentatively back. 'And you too, Al. It's great of you to have us.'

'Certainly no greater than you coming down here to help us out!' Al said, smiling. Booth looked at him closely, and noticed that his smile was certainly not as carefree as he tried to make it appear. He was really starting to get curious about the relationship between Al and his dead students.

But instead of probing, he decided to ask a lighter question.

'So, who's sleeping where?'

Brennan looked at Booth, a calculating look in her eyes. 'Well, I think you should sleep on the single bed – it would be more supportive for your back, and you know how you need that.'

Booth considered the bed. It was tiny.

'You're just saying that 'cos you want the nice big double bed, don't you, Bones?' He said mischievously. He didn't mind sleeping on the tiny bed – he'd have slept on the floor so that Bones could be more comfortable, if it would have been necessary.

'If you'd prefer the double bed I'd be happy to take the single, Booth.' She said, looking at him with her hands on his hips.

Al was looking between them with a slightly amused look on his face.

'How about you two kids work out the sleeping arrangements later? You guys must be starving – I can't imaging aeroplane food is ever good, even if it's first class.'

Booth had liked the food.

'That would be great, Al, it's almost time for dinner anyway, right?' Brennan asked, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and shaking it loose.

For some reason, the sight of her doing that made Booth's heart stop, momentarily.

Al laughed gently. 'Nope, lunchtime, Tempe.'

She laughed, too. 'So maybe I'm a little more jetlagged than I let on.'

Sarah entered the room, having just brought in both their suitcases. Booth ran over too her, feeling guilty for not helping.

'It's okay, Seeley,' she said, grinning at him. 'You're the guest, remember?'

'Still, I should have brought them in.' He said, taking them from her hands. She looked to Brennan, and they shared a look.

'Isn't it funny how they never run to help you wash the dishes, Temperance?' Sarah asked, rolling her eyes.

'I have noticed that. Though, Booth has grudgingly helped me on a handful of occasions.'

Now it was Al and Booth's turn to share looks.

'Well, Seeley, we're going to be giving the ladies a rest from cooking tonight, maybe that will placate them. Temperance told me you were brilliant at barbequing?'

'I suppose you could say that,' Booth said, trying to sound modest.

Brennan walked over and took the bag from his hand, before taking it over to the double bed.

_Looks like the sleeping arrangements have been decided, then._

Booth smiled at her, not minding a bit.

'Well, we'll leave you kids to freshen up,' Al said, shepherding his children to the stairs at the far end of the room. 'We'll have some lunch once you're ready.'

The family disappeared up the stairs, and Brennan and Booth were left alone.

* * *

Next chapter will hopefully satiate desires for a bit of Booth/Brennan goodness :)


	5. Chapter 5

So this chapter doesn't really make the story go forward but hey, I had plenty of fun writing it, and I do hope you enjoy reading it!

* * *

**The Desire in the Hearts**

He lay back on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. He'd turned on the small TV for a few moments but found nothing of interest on. Seemingly daytime TV in Australia differed little from what he would have seen back home, and he'd never really found those gossipy female shows all that interesting. He had considered unpacking his suitcase of clothes and using the cupboard and drawers that had been set up for him and Brennan, but had instead decided on a little nap while she had a shower.

_Dammit._

He'd been trying so hard not to think about her in the shower, all hot and steamy, a mere few metres away, only a flimsy door between them –

His mind flooded with images and thoughts which he had been trying to ignore ever since he had heard the running water from the bathroom adjacent to the room. He felt so immature, so unrestrained. Yet he_ couldn't_ restrain himself, couldn't help but picture her with nothing but water streaming over her soft skin, he couldn't help but fantasise that he was inside that shower with her – _inside_ her; running his hands and mouth over every inch of her skin, pinning her up against the tiled bathroom wall, making her want him as much as he wanted her...

His thoughts became more disjointed as his fantasy progressed, and he felt himself getting too carried away. He sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, and let out a groan, his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the images he had conjured, feeling almost ashamed; yet thrilled at the same time. He had certainly fantasised about women before, but he had never felt so powerless to such temptation, and certainly not when they were in the next room. He'd slept with many beautiful women, and loved them, too. But he'd never felt this onslaught of emotion – passion, heat, ferocity, and such _need_, felt to the point that he just wanted to break that bathroom door down and show her exactly the intensity of his emotion because he sure as hell couldn't put them into words.

The fact that he had been sexless for a few months didn't help.

He heard the water stop running in the bathroom, and heard her gently humming some tune he didn't know. He lay back on the bed, closing his eyes, listening to the sound of her voice.

It soothed him, and while the heat of his emotions still coursed through his body, he felt calmed by the gentleness of her voice and could push them back down, where he felt they belonged. He smiled as his heart beat slowed, remembering how his entire body had reacted to his thoughts from just a few moments ago. Every atom of his being longed for her, and he felt like it would result in the unravelling of his mind if he wasn't soon satisfied. He realised now that other women were only pale imitations of what he _could _have. He found himself thinking about Hannah, how she was beautiful, sexy; did all the things he liked and then some things he'd never even thought of – but he couldn't remember his body ever reacting to her touch in the same way his had moments ago, merely at the _thought _of Temperance's.

Booth was distracted from his thoughts as he looked up to find that Brennan had left the bathroom, clasping a large white towel around herself. Her hair hung in wet tendrils around her face, her normally pale cheeks tinted slightly red from the warmth of the shower, beads of water clinging to her skin.

She looked surprised to see Booth in the room, lying on the bed. She paused in the doorway of the bathroom for a moment, before heading over to her bed to grab the clothes she had laid out for herself.

'I thought you would have gone up to eat by now, Booth.'

Her back was too him as she reorganised the clothes on her bed. He felt intoxicated by the sight of her barely covered long, smooth legs, and kind of perverted at the same time, like he should be looking in another direction.

He looked away, picking up his suitcase from the side of his bed, trying to look busy and intent on not looking at his semi naked partner. His heart was pumping madly again and blood was rushing to areas in his body which he was not keen on them rushing too. Images half formed in his mind from his fantasies moments ago surged back into his head, and he felt his cheeks warm at his inability to control himself.

She turned around to look at him, an eyebrow raised, waiting for a response. She looked so sexual, with that impatient look in her eyes, the beads of water glistening on her skin, almost as if they could be sweat exerted after a certain activity...

He recited Saints in his head.

'Just... I fancied a shower too. Get out of these clothes, you know. Freshen up.'

He held up a shirt and a pair of jeans, looking at her innocently.

She nodded, turning back to her bed.

'You should have said. I would have been quicker.'

'It didn't bother me.' He said, shoving the clothes in the crook of his arm and turning to the bathroom. He reached the door, and turned around to look at her. 'See you upstairs?'

She nodded, smiling. She heard the bathroom door close and let her towel drop, beginning to get dressed. Her heart was starting to calm down, having started to race as soon as she'd seen Booth from the bathroom doorway. She wasn't shy about her body, and never had been. But the way he'd looked at her had made her feel self conscious, naked.

_Excited, too._

She pushed the thought away, pulling her pale blue summer dress over her head, and sat down on the bed, towelling her hair. Afterwards, she sat still for a moment, looking at the bathroom door. She heard the sound of running water, and couldn't help but picture Booth in there, hot water rushing down his body, over his well muscled arms and chest, down his torso...

She almost blushed, berating herself for letting her thoughts run away with her. It did no good to live in fantasy, outside of fact. And she'd accepted the facts of their partnership, accepted what could and couldn't be.

They _had_ loved each other, but she'd made the biggest mistake of her life.

He had fallen in love with another woman, and was now sore over that woman, _not _her.

He'd moved on, and would never be hers.

Sadness passed through her as she tossed her towel to the side, slipping on a pair of sandals and padding up the stairs to the house. She cast the images of Booth from her mind, but for all her efforts, could not cast aside the feeling of desire which had only grown since they had gotten on that plane to Australia.

Upstairs, she helped Al and Sarah in the kitchen, making a sandwich for both herself and Booth, pushing her emotions for Booth back where she hid them on a day to day basis, noting just how hard it was getting to hide them.

Downstairs, Booth shivered beneath an icy jet of water, his hands pressed against the tiled walls as he let the cold water pass over his skin and wash over his upturned face. It did little to put out the burning heat in his heart - he doubted there was anything in the world that could do that for him; but it put out fires elsewhere on his body, and he figured that was all he could do for now.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! Oh, I was looking at Booth and Brennan clips on YouTube the other day, for inspiration, and came across these excellent clips which I'd never seen before – apparently they were podcasts you could get off iTunes that were never on TV or the DVDs – if you haven't seen them, search for 'Couples Counselling, Bones' and they should appear. They are absolutely adorable, and really make me realise that I'll never be able to capture that brilliant banter between the two!

Also, the song that Brennan is singing in my imagination is from Zooey Deschanel's excellent duo, She & Him, and the song is "Sweet Darlin'". Totally advise you check them out too.

Ahem! I'm not paid to advertise, I promise :)


	6. Chapter 6

I forgot to mention something important! Okay, not really important at all, only if you needed help to imagine what Al might look like. If you're happy with your own creation of him in your mind, ignore my suggestion to Google Michael Vartan – cos that's who I'd get to play Al if I was casting my story! *swoons*

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**The Wisdom in the Friend**

Her phone rang, vibrating against the table and blasting 'Hot Blooded.' She'd found Booth fiddling with her phone quite awhile ago, but hadn't realised the change he'd made until the cheeky phone call he had made to her later in that day asking if she liked the new ringtone. Now, every time her phone rang she couldn't help but answer with a smile.

'Brennan,' she said, having stopped her conversation with Sarah and Al to answer the phone. They sat on the couch in a comfortable silence with Booth, who was watching Brennan pace around the living room. He couldn't help but take the opportunity to admire the blue summer dress she was wearing.

The call was from the D.I. she had been assigned, Martin Fuller. Brennan and Martin had swapped a few short emails and a phone call previously, and he had called to arrange to pick her up from the house tomorrow, to show her around the forensic lab and introduce her to the team she would be working with.

She wandered off, trying to get out of earshot.

'And Agent Booth has been given clearance to join me, correct?' She whispered. She didn't want him to hear that his help on this case was not yet finalised on this side of the world.

'He has. There will be limitations set in place for him but he will be allowed to assist you in the case.'

'Good. I can't work without him.'

There was a pause and Brennan wondered if the man was nodding over the phone.

'You're not nodding, are you?' She asked, her voice back to its full volume.

The man cleared his throat. 'No,' he said, not entirely convincingly. Brennan smiled. From the emails and phone call they had shared, Martin seemed nice enough – certainly not as talented as Booth, but she knew that really, no one would ever compare with him, so it was an unfair standard to set.

'I look forward to meeting you tomorrow,' she said, heading back over to the area where the others sat.

'And you, Dr Brennan,' the man said formally, before adding, 'I'll see you at nine a.m. tomorrow,' and hanging up the phone.

Brennan placed the phone back on the table, before heading back to the couch she had been sharing with Booth. In her absence he had stretched out somewhat, his arm draped over the back of the couch, so that when she sat down it was almost as though his arm was around her. He used to be this tactile with her, until Hannah. She hadn't realised how much she had missed those small touches, the closeness of their bodies until he had begun to start his old habits again. He smiled at her cheekily as she sat down, as if he were aware just how much she liked being close to him, and that was the very reason he did it.

_Don't get carried away, Temperance._

'That your new partner, Tempe?' Al asked, trying to make the question sound like a passing comment.

'Not my new partner. Just the person I'll be working with for the duration of my time in Australia.' She looked over to Booth, before adding, 'Well, one of the people I'll be working with.'

'Seem nice?' Booth asked innocently, wondering if he would have yet more competition for Brennan. It seemed that every male that came into contact with her wanted her – it was hard enough for her not to be his when they were alone; it was a thousand times worse when there was another man in the picture, vying for her affection.

'Well, I can't tell much from two phone conversations and a handful of emails, but my basic assessment is that he'll be a good person to work with. Seems quite no-nonsense and practical about things.'

'So, a male version of you?' Booth asked, rolling his eyes. 'It's going to be so much fun working with you two,' he said, poking at her gently.

'I wouldn't go so far as to say he is the male version of me, Booth,' she argued, crossing her arms. 'I doubt he's as brilliant.'

Al snorted. 'Still as modest as ever, Tempe.'

Al grinned at Booth. 'I love Tempe, I do, but I don't know you could have put up with her antics for so long, Seeley. You're a special guy.'

_Because I love her. In the die for, suffer for, go to hell and back kind of way._

He didn't say that, of course. 'Oh, we have our outlets to vent our frustrations.'

Al and Sarah exchanged a look, and Seeley could see what outlets they thought he meant.

_God, I wish._

Before he could correct their assumption, Josephine and Ella bounded in from outside, their faces shining from all the running around they appeared to have been doing.

'Mummy, I'm starving! What's for dinner?' Ella asked. It was the first time Booth had heard Ella speak and thought that the little girl sounded absolutely adorable with her Australian accent.

Sarah scooped the little girl into her lap, and Booth was surprised by how little Ella looked like her mother.

Josephine milled around the couch, looking somewhat wearily at both Booth and Brennan. She hadn't forgotten the presence of the strangers quite as well as her little sister seemed to have.

'We're in for a treat, girls,' Sarah said, hugging Ella tight. 'Daddy and Seeley here are going to make us a delicious barbeque tonight!'

'Yummy!' The little girl grinned, squirming in her mother's lap.

Al stood up, looking at Booth. 'Looks like duty calls, Seeley. I'll fire up the barbeque, would you mind grabbing the meat out of the fridge?'

Booth stood up, nodding. Heading over to the fridge, he grabbed the meat out. Before he closed the door, he heard Al yell from outside, 'Oh, and bring out a couple of beers, too!'

Booth smiled, grabbing a couple of stubbies and heading towards the door. He threw a glance at Sarah and Brennan who remained sitting on the couch, laughing about something. The little girls were sitting on the couch with their mother, and Ella seemed to be trying to butt into the conversation. Too his surprise, Brennan didn't seem to be annoyed by the distraction, instead she smiled somewhat fondly at the child. Bemused, Booth opened the flyscreen door and headed out onto the veranda – a word Sarah had taught him when he'd been shown around the house – over to where Al stood, cleaning off the barbeque.

He placed the meat and plates on the bench next to the barbeque, holding onto the beer. He handed one to Al with a smile, opening his and taking a swig. The beer tasted different to what he was used to in America, but it was still nice.

Al finished cleaning the barbeque before turning his full attention to Booth. Booth had been wondering whether to broach the topic of the case, and ask what the _truth _was about Al's relationship to the victims. He carefully considered the man – he seemed to be in a good mood, a small smile on his face as he fiddled with the barbeque, beer in hand. Booth looked around the garden, taking in the Christmas decorations and the balmy evening.

_This is too nice a night to spoil with talk of murder._

Booth instead decided to talk about the woman they had in common.

'So, Al,' He began, somewhat slyly, 'do you have any interesting stories about Brennan that you think I'd like to hear?'

Al turned to him, a slight twinkle in his eye. 'Oh, a few,' he said, noncommittally, testing the heat of the grill.

Booth took another sip of beer, curious to find out stories about Brennan from her earlier days. He doubted she would have been much of a party girl, but he didn't doubt that she would have found herself in many interesting situations.

'I can't imagine Brennan ever really acting any younger than 35,' Booth said, passing Al the meat, considering him. 'Though, I imagine you were a bad influence on her,'

Al laughed. 'Too true. Most of her more questionable moments usually came from my insistence. Except...' he trailed off, laughing at the memory.

Al paused for a moment, concentrating on placing the array of meat on the grill – the typical sausages, hamburgers and chops. It hardly seemed to Booth that this was a two man job, but he didn't mind the conversation.

'So, Brennan let loose on her own accord?' Booth asked, eyebrows raised.

'Not quite,' Al said, still laughing. The meat sizzled, releasing a pleasant aroma into the summer air.

All looked at Booth, his face alight with a cheeky smile. 'Okay, so this was before Brennan and I had gotten together, though we were living together by then. My girlfriend at the time had been staying over, and decided to bake cookies. Special cookies,' Al said, emphasising the word special. 'She was a bit of a hippie, but fancied herself as a good cook. And I won't deny, those cookies were delicious.'

Booth could see where the story was headed, and the images in his mind were certainly entertaining.

Al paused again, laughing. 'Anyway, so Tempe comes home after Uni and understandably, she was pretty hungry. Erin – my girlfriend – and I were out, and Tempe sees all these cookies cooling on the rack. So naturally, she helps herself to a few. By the time Erin and I get back, Tempe is outside and completely fascinated by the sunlight through her fingers, and kept exclaiming how beautiful everything was to anyone who would listen.' He paused, shaking his head at the memory. 'She was truly adorable.'

Booth laughed, and could picture in his mind how she would have been an adorable sight. He'd never enjoyed 'special cookies' and what went in them himself: whenever he'd tried, he'd only gotten hungry; and the sight of his friends gambolling around him talking about unicorns had hardly enamoured him to the experience. But of course Brennan would have seen everything as beautiful, and then try to convince everyone else of the fact.

'I'll take it she stayed away from your girlfriend's cookies after that?' Booth asked, holding his hand out for the tongs in Al's hands so he could flip the meat.

Handing them over, Al grinned. 'On the contrary,' he said, reaching for his beer on the table. 'She asked for the recipe.'

Booth burst out laughing, just as Brennan and Sarah came out, holding various salads in their hands. The children followed soon after, carrying plates and cutlery.

'What's so funny?' Brennan asked curiously, placing her salad bowl down on the table.

Al hid his smile, as did Booth. 'Just telling Seeley about old times, Tempe.' Al said, beginning to pull meat of the barbeque and place it on a large serving plate.

Brennan looked curiously at Booth, wondering what story could have made him laugh so much.

'Don't worry, Tempe, it's nothing embarrassing,' Al said, not entirely convincingly.

Booth grinned impishly at her. 'No, I assure you Bones, it is.'

She crossed her arms, trying to look annoyed, but found that she wasn't, really. 'What did he tell you?' She asked, looking at Booth.

He grinned at her, winking. 'I wouldn't worry.'

She rolled her eyes before heading back to the door and disappearing back inside. He watched her leave, smiling to himself.

He hadn't noticed Al watching him, or the appraising look in his eyes.

Booth turned back to Al, taking another sip of beer. He was about to ask about the other stories, but Al cut him off.

'Tell me, Booth. How long have you felt this way about Tempe?'

He asked the question quietly, kindly. Booth was taken aback by it.

'What do you mean?' Booth asked, though he knew exactly what Al meant.

Al just looked at him pointedly, as if to say what he meant was obvious. Which, it was.

Booth ran his fingers through his hair, pausing. How much did he want to reveal to this man, that he'd only just met? Who was a suspected murderer, who he found himself trusting, despite it all?

'Since I first laid eyes on her,' he said quietly, knowing it sounded like a cliché. But, it was true. He hadn't realised it himself at the time, he'd denied it too himself once the realisation had occurred, he'd eventually admitted it to her at his own peril, and now he was admitting it to Al. He didn't know why, but he felt better for saying it.

Al smiled knowingly. He patted Booth on the back, and then punched his shoulder. 'Don't give up on her, Booth. She'll surprise you yet.'

The women returned, and Booth was left to think about what Al had just said.

_She'll surprise you yet._

What had Al seen that he had failed too?

.-.-.-.-.-.

She climbed into bed, her head buzzing from the red wine she'd maybe had a little too much of that evening, her heart warm from the pleasant evening she'd shared with Al and his family, and most of all, Booth. She'd caught his eye a dozen times that night, and every time she felt her heart swell with happiness she couldn't really describe. As the night had progressed, his small touches had become longer, lingering upon her skin so that even now she felt as though he had left his tingling fingerprints on her. She smiled, remembering how the children had warmed up too both herself and Booth, Ella climbing into her lap come the end of the night. She remembered the glowing look she'd received from Booth as the small child lay sleeping in her lap, and she felt further warmed by the memory.

She and Booth had resumed their banter again, much to her enjoyment; and Sarah and Al's. Rather than be annoyed by it, like their friends back at home, Sarah especially seemed to find it amusing. They'd fought over Booth's mispronunciations of Australian words, much to the girls delight – they had spent of the evening asking him to say certain words, and laughing at his efforts when he said them differently – they'd fought over etiquette at a barbeque, and as the night progressed, what they fought over became more ridiculous and childish. But she'd loved every moment of it.

It felt like they were back, finally back. A team again, the crime solving duo that let nothing get in their way.

_Especially now a certain blonde is out of the picture._

She smiled at Booth as he came out of the bathroom, not bothering to hide that fact that she was admiring his body. She figured that if he chose to sleep in nothing but jocks, he was willingly putting himself on display. And so, she would look.

He noticed her looking, and hid a smile.

'Do you realise you have a perfectly proportioned body, Booth?' She asked, looking at him with bright eyes. 'You are the epitome of masculinity.'

He looked at her, surprised. And pleased. The way she was gazing at him filled him with a hunger, he wanted to go over to her and devour her. Instead, he simply said -

'Thanks, Bones.'

He scooted under his covers, looking over at her. She was still watching him intently.

_If I could only know what you are thinking!_

What she was thinking was how much she wanted to go over to him on that bed, to touch every part of his perfect body, to guide his hands over every part of hers. She was thinking how she wished she was a little braver, or had had a little more to drink, so that she might have had the courage to actually do it.

She reached over to turn off the lamp, and they were both plunged into darkness. Moonlight streamed in through a crack in the curtains, falling at the foot of Booth's bed.

'Good night, Booth.' She said, closing her eyes. She had to be rational. She was here to solve a case and help a friend. She was here to help Booth forget his heartache.

'Sweet dreams, Bones,' he replied, putting his arms behind his head. He thought about the night they'd just shared, how good it had been. How light, how jovial. He hadn't had as much fun in a long time. He listened to the sound of her deep breathing, calm and relaxed.

He smiled as the sound of her gentle breaths lulled him to sleep.

* * *

An explanation: I realise the thoughts that both Brennan and Booth have may seem repetitive – i.e. in the last chapter with both of them thinking of the other while they were in the shower, or here, how they both want to go to the other and instigate some sexy fun time. If you find that repetition annoying, sorry! But I'm doing it for a reason – I want to show that they are both thinking about each other in the same way, but haven't yet twigged that the other is feeling exactly the same. In previous seasons of the show, it seemed to be hinted all the time that they each new how much they were attracted to each other, but I don't think that knowledge would remain after all that has happened between them. Brennan is convinced that Booth has moved on, and Booth is convinced that his botched attempt to woe her and then his relationship with Hannah has destroyed the trust between them. Oh, how wrong they are! But the majority of this story is really about the unfolding that occurs for them both to realise how the other feels. And hopefully act on it, this time ;)

Also, for those of you looking forward to hearing more about the case, the next chapter is the one for you! Sorry if the story seems a bit slow paced – I'm just trying to make it flow naturally, and not jump from one thing to another haphazardly. Hope you're all enjoying the story; I'm really enjoying writing it!

And thank you for the reviews :)


	7. Chapter 7

Just a warning – this chapter is more disjointed than the others, with more 'scene cuts' I suppose you could call them. Hope you enjoy regardless! Oh, and a story set in Australia isn't complete without vegemite :)

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Truth in the Bite**

The light woke her up. Groggily opening her eyes, she saw on the bedside table's clock that it was almost seven – when she had planned to get up. She lay back a moment, before stretching and pulling back the covers of the bed. Her mouth was fuzzy and her head ached a little from last night's wine, but it was nothing a cup of coffee and a hot shower couldn't fix.

She glanced over at Booth, and grinned at the sight of him. As predicted, he slept spread out on the bed, his mouth slightly agape, gentle snores escaping. He seemed to have tossed and turned throughout the night, and the covers were a tangle around his body. She stood up, walking over to him. He looked peaceful, not a trace of sadness lined his face. She thought he looked better, better than she'd seen him in a long time.

_I'm so glad he came with me._

She turned back to grab the clothes that she'd set out for herself the night before, before disappearing into the bathroom.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth woke up at the sound of running water and the gentle humming of his partner in the bathroom. He smiled, stretching. It was a nice way to be woken. He could think of better, but as wake ups go, he thought this was a pretty good one.

His mind drifted to other ways he'd like to be woken up, and he promptly got out of bed, grabbing a pair of track pants and a sloppy t-shirt out of his still unpacked bag. He'd have breakfast before his mind ran away with him, causing him to need another cold shower. He considered his appearance in the full length mirror that had been set against the wall, wondering if he should just wait for Brennan to finish in the shower. He wouldn't want to offend his hosts with his rather laid back appearance...

He shook the thought off. He doubted they'd mind.

Heading over to the stairs, he paused for a moment, listening to her sing. He knew this song – Hot Blooded. He couldn't help but smile.

.-.-.-.-.-.

He was surprised to find both girls up when he walked into the kitchen. Both were perched on bar stools, eating toast and watching cartoons in their pyjamas. They grinned when Booth walked in, waving him over.

'Come watch Ben10 with us, Seeley!' Ella called, waving around her piece of toast at him excitedly.

Booth was pretty surprised by just how much the kids had warmed up to him. Yesterday, they would barely look at him, and now they were talking to him like he was their favourite Uncle. Not that he minded – they were both sweet kids. He walked over to her, ruffling Ella's blonde hair. She dodged him quickly, giggling.

'What's that you're eating then?' He asked, looking at their toast.

'Vegemite, of course!' Ella answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He looked at Josephine, wondering what that might be. She looked back at him, smiling, still a little bit shy.

He could see which child took after which parent; in personality at least. Josephine was like her mother, quiet, gentle. Ella was more like her father: gregarious and quite the go getter.

'Would you like me to get you some toast?' She'd just finished her last piece. 'I'm going to make some more, so you can try some, if you like.'

Booth was surprised by her thoughtfulness. Despite the fact that she was about Parker's age, she seemed a great deal more... mature.

He grinned at her, nodding. 'Sounds great.'

She smiled, hopping off the stool and heading over to the pantry. Booth kept an eye on her, one, so he would know where all the proper gear for breakfast was, and two, because he thought it would be kind of awkward if the little girl hurt herself while she was getting him some toast.

He turned to Ella, who was transfixed by the TV. Booth had seen the cartoon a couple of times when Parker was around, and hadn't minded the show; though he wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

'My son loves this show,' he said to Ella in the ad break. She looked up at him, wrinkling her nose.

'So do the boys in my class. But none of the girls do. They like the stupid shows.'

Booth smiled at her as she took a huge bite out of her toast.

'What else do you like watching?' He asked, getting out of the stool to head for the fridge for a glass of juice.

The little girl reeled off a bunch of names, most of which he'd never heard of. He headed back over to the bench, to find Josephine sitting back down, munching on her toast. Where Booth had been sitting sat a small plate with two slices of bread on it, a brown spread thinly covering the heavily buttered toast. It didn't look like any spread he'd ever seen, but he was willing to give it a try.

_When in Rome!_

He took a generous bite of the bread, and was surprised to see both of the girls eyeing him off interestedly.

'Do you like it?' Josephine asked, looking like she was trying not to smile.

He didn't reply for a moment, considering the taste. Definitely not what he was used too, but it wasn't... bad. He took another bite, trying to think about what it reminded him of. Sort of pungent, salty. He shrugged, not sure if he liked it or not. Certainly edible, he concluded, finishing off the slice.

Grinning at the girls, he nodded. 'It's interesting.'

The girls laughed, Ella's rather loud and honking.

'What's the joke?' He asked, sitting back and watching them amusedly.

'When Granny and Grandpa came to visit us from America we made them breakfast in bed and they really, really didn't like the vegemite. Daddy doesn't like it either.' Josephine explained.

'Mummy said that people from your country just don't under-stand vegemite.' Ella added, stumbling over the words.

He took another bite of toast, chewing carefully. 'You know what I think would be fun?' He asked, conspiratorially.

'What?' The girls whispered, leaning closer to him.

'We should see if Bones likes this... Veggie...thing.'

'Vegemite,' Josephine corrected, nodding. 'That could be fun.' She added.

He finished his toast and headed for the pantry, keen for some more. As he milled about the kitchen, the girls giggled to themselves, having whispered conversations.

'Seeley?' Josephine's quiet voice piped up, and he turned to look at her. She looked sort of curious, but also a bit sheepish. He turned to look at Ella, who was staring at him with unabashed curiosity.

'Why do you call Temp-rance Bones?' Ella butted in, leaning over the bench, bouncing up and down on her stool.

He set back to work on his toast, smiling. 'It's because she works with Bones all the time. She's like, the Queen of Bones.'

He turned back to see them both wrinkle their noses.

'Ew.' Josephine said quietly, hopping down off her stool and placing her plate in the sink.

Ella piped up again. 'Why aren't you married to Temp-rance?'

'Ella!' Josephine said, turning to face her little sister. 'Don't be rude!'

'I'm not being rude! I just want to know! I think they should be married.' She said matter of factly.

Booth bit his tongue, hiding his smile.

_Me too, kid. Me too._

'Why do you think Bones and me should be married?' He asked, heading back over to the table. As soon as he sat down, Brennan appeared from the staircase, looking summery and fresh faced.

He turned to greet her, meeting her eyes. She smiled at him, walking over to the table where they sat.

'Good morning, everyone.' She said, taking a seat.

Ella grinned. 'Temp-rance, we're going to make breakfast for you!' Ella hopped off the bench, excitedly bounding over to the pantry.

Brennan laughed quietly, turning to Booth as he munched on his toast.

'They're pretty excited about making their Aunty Temp-rance breakfast, Bones. Better make sure you eat it all up,' he said, grinning mischievously.

She smiled at him, figuring there was something he wasn't telling her.

'Did you sleep well?' He asked, sipping his juice.

'Very. Despite the fact that you snore.'

He put his glass down. 'What? I don't snore! You snore.'

'I'm fairly sure we've had this conversation before, Booth. And you do snore. Only little baby snores though, so they aren't too disruptive.'

He pursed his lips. 'Little baby snores,' he said, shaking his head.

The girls bounded over with a plateful of vegemite on toast.

'Here you go, Temperance,' Josephine said, smiling innocently.

Brennan smiled, taking the plate. 'Thanks, Josephine, Ella. This looks delicious.'

She took a mouthful, and chewed slowly. Booth had seen that look on her face before. It was the look of careful contemplation, as if she was weighing up the positives and negatives of the toast in her mind.

He grinned as she wrinkled up her nose, in a rather adorable fashion. The girls giggled.

She swallowed slowly. 'That's... really... disgusting.'

She looked carefully at the children, hoping she hadn't offended them. On the contrary, she seemed to have delighted them with her distaste of the breakfast she'd made them.

_Odd._

She looked at Booth, who helped himself to her toast, having finished his. The children looked up at them both, grinning ear to ear.

'Temp-rance? Why aren't you married to Seeley?' Ella asked, bouncing from foot to foot.

Booth and Brennan avoided each other's eyes, hiding their smiles.

.-.-.-.-.-.

There was a knock at the door, which Sarah went to answer. Booth stood up, chugging down the last of his coffee and grabbing the case file off the table. Al watched him stand up, slightly uncomfortable, before standing up also.

'Well, good luck with things, Tempe, Seeley,' he said, crossing his arms.

'What will you be doing today, Al?' Temperance asked, pulling her bag over her head.

'Oh, the usual. Stressing out about the case. Playing with the kids. Reading over research.' He grimaced slightly, before looking over Booths shoulder.

Sarah had just walked in with the man. He wore a white button down shirt and grey suit pants. Booth considered him – he looked friendly enough, but there was an air about him that suggested he was incredibly sensible. He wasn't overly attractive, but was very earnest looking – with light brown hair that was almost a dirty blonde, hazel eyes, and full lips. He was well built, almost as well as Booth.

Booth looked over at Brennan, wondering what her reaction to her new partner would be.

She smiled at him, before walking over to him and extending her hand.

'I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. It's nice to meet you finally.'

He nodded, smiling back at her. 'Martin Fuller.'

He looked over at Booth, and Brennan followed his gaze. 'And this,' she said, smiling in earnest, 'is my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth.'

Booth headed over to the man, shaking his hand. He could almost feel himself being sized up, and grinned cheekily at Martin, just to throw him off.

'And I'm Alexander Norris,' Al piped up over Booth's shoulder. The three turned to look at Al, who waved somewhat self consciously.

'I know who you are,' Martin said, not entirely friendly.

Al crossed his arms, looking upset. His wife headed over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. Booth couldn't help but feel bad for the couple.

He clapped his hands together, turning back to Brennan and Martin. 'Too the lab?' He asked, grinning.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The lab was not what they were used too. Apparently there were better facilities in Sydney, but they were being used for more 'pertinent' cases – cases that weren't more than six months old and didn't have suspects quite as convincing as Al.

Brennan stood at the entrance to her lab with her hands on her hips and a distasteful look on her face. Booth could see her trying to come to terms with the fact that she was going to be working in a dimly lit, cramped, ill equipped place. He shuffled over to her, placing his hand gently in the crook of her arm, giving her a reassuring smile.

She turned to him, looking annoyed. 'I can't work like this. I can't believe they'd make me work here. This-'she said, gesturing around the room, 'is an insult.'

Booth looked around the room again. He couldn't exactly disagree.

'Come on, Bones. It's not that bad.' She gave him a withering look.

'Okay, it is that bad. But you've worked in plenty worse conditions. New Orleans wasn't as equipped. I can't imagine Rwanda would have been...'

She crossed her arms, and Booth dropped his hand from her elbow.

'I'll try.'

Martin had been watching the exchange out of the corner of his eye and seemed to be somewhat embarrassed by Brennan's reaction to the facilities she was going to have to use.

'I'm sorry if the lab is not up to your standard, Dr. Brennan.' He said, quietly.

She looked at him, somewhat thunderous. Booth quickly stepped in.

'She'll get used to it. Don't worry.'

Brennan glared at him, but didn't say anything. She walked forward, towards the two skeletons that lay before her. Booth followed, as did Martin.

Brennan peered over one of the tables, pulling on the latex gloves and picking up bones with knife wounds, considering them meticulously.

She then considered the report that she had been given by a forensic, and shook her head.

'There are fallacies in this report. Already I can see an error.'

Martin raised his eyes, surprised. 'What? You've only been looking at the bones for two minutes.'

Brennan smiled at him cockily. 'It need only have been one if the lights in here were brighter,' she said, with a small amount of malice.

Booth rolled his eyes.

'What's the error, then?'

'It's nothing huge, I suppose. But these stab wounds, here, on the bone?' She indicated with her finger. 'The fracturing around the marks indicate that the wounds were inflicted while on a bed. There was no mention of this in the report.'

Booth considered the evidence.

'The crime scene – where they were murdered – that was never found, was it, Fuller?' Booth asked, arms crossed.

Martin still looked surprised. 'No, no, it wasn't.'

'Well there's a clue.'

Brennan looked at Booth. 'That hardly narrows it down, Booth. There are a lot of beds in the world.'

She went back to considering the bones, and didn't speak up for about ten minutes, before she turned to look at the other skeleton. Entirely absorbed, Booth looked at Martin out of the corner of his eye.

'You'd better look after her, Fuller,' Booth said, quietly. He couldn't keep the menace out of his voice. 'Since I'm not allowed to carry around a gun, that job is up to you.'

Martin walked over to Booth, arms crossed. He didn't look worried.

'Mate, I hardly think she's going to be in danger during this case.'

Booth watched her for a moment.

He turned back to Martin. 'You'd be surprised how much trouble she gets into,'

Martin too, considered her.

'Right. Well I'll protect her, obviously. But I wouldn't worry, Booth.'

Booth turned back to look at her, shaking his head. He would always worry about her.

Brennan turned back to Booth, smiling hugely. Booth was taken aback by her happiness, and he wondered if she could have possibly solved the case in that short amount of time.

'What have you found out, Bones?' He asked her, walking over to stand by her side.

She had picked up the skull, indicating to the mouth.

'Look at the damage to the teeth, Booth,' she said, excitedly. Booth looked, but couldn't see any damage at all. They just looked like teeth.

He nodded knowingly, as if he could see something.

'Right. And what does that mean?' He asked, looking at her. Her eyes were shining.

'Before the male victim was killed, he bit his assailant. Hard. Hard enough to damage his own teeth – imagine the wound he would have given the murderer!' She placed the skull down carefully, before saying quietly –

'This is the sort of evidence that will save Al. We just have to check him for bite marks, and he should be free of accusation. I assure you, the murderer will have a very large, human-jaw shaped scar somewhere on their body.'

She looked almost overcome with happiness.

She turned to look at Martin. 'Did you hear that?' She asked.

He nodded. She considered the file again, shaking her head. Booth thought he heard her mutter, 'amateurs.'

She turned back to Martin. 'Tell me that the forensics took a sample of what would have been lodged in the male victim's mouth. Please,' she said, looking hopeful.

Martin looked almost worried. 'Is it in the report?' He asked hopefully.

'Would I have asked, if it were in the report?' She said, shaking her head at him.

'I suppose not.' He said, looking sheepish. 'Well, I guess then that they wouldn't have. I can't imagine why. I'll follow it up, if you like,'

She stared at him.

'Uhm. I'll see what information I can rustle up.' Martin turned and disappeared up the stairs.

Brennan turned to Booth, shaking her head. 'Not only am I working in sub-par conditions, I'm working with a sub-par partner. You have no idea how happy I am that you're here.'

He grinned, but felt bad for Martin. 'Go easy on him, Bones. He's not that bad.'

She considered him, hiding a smile.

'Though you felt the need to threaten him to make sure he would protect me?'

Booth felt a slight heat rising to his cheeks, but grinned at her.

'If he let anything happen to you, Bones, I'd have to kill him. I thought he should be warned.'

She shook her head, putting her hands on her hips and turning to face him. Their bodies were inches apart, and her mouth was just within reach of his. He could almost feel her breath tickle his neck.

'I can look after myself, Booth. You know I can.'

He bit his lip, trying not to look at hers.

'Unless there are snakes involved.' He said mischievously.

She rolled her eyes.

'I hear there are a lot of snakes in Australia, Bones. Deadly ones.'

She looked at him for a moment, right into his eyes.

'I suppose you'll just have to protect me then, won't you?'

She sounded sincere, and Booth thought he heard something else behind those words. They stared at each other for quite a while, and Booth wondered if this was his moment to kiss her.

Brennan too, was wondering if it were the right moment. He looked... eager. His eyes kept falling to her lips.

She mentally shook herself.

_Think about where you are! Standing in front of two murder victims! In Australia! This is not about you!_

She ignored her desire, and the desire that was clearly evidence on Booth's face.

_Stop it, Temperance._

She laughed, and whacked his shoulder, trying to ease the tension that had just built between them. She turned back to the table.

Behind them, Martin cleared his throat.

'The bodies were too decomposed by the time they had been found. There was no indication that there was any sort of evidence in the mouth, or teeth,' he said, eyeing them both off.

Brennan shook her head angrily. 'It should have been seen! DNA of the murderer could have been found! This is ridiculous.'

Angrily, she took of her gloves, throwing them in the bin before looking at Martin.

'I suggest we look at Al for any sign of injury made by a human jaw. If there isn't any, the case should be dropped against him.'

Martin nodded, heading back up the stairs. Booth and Brennan followed.

Brennan turned to Booth as they walked up the stairs, grinning. 'This case is going to be easy.'

Booth groaned inwardly.

_That's like saying "nothing could possibly go wrong."_

* * *

There we go. A little more information for you... Looks like Al didn't do it, hey!


	8. Chapter 8

Hard chapter to write! It's incredibly angst ridden (for me, anyway), which I don't usually do because it makes me feel sad! I'm really nervous about this one. Please go easy on me ;)

The autumn/fall night I mention – I'm sure you all know I mean the scene from the hundredth episode. I don't actually know if it was autumn during that episode, but I thought it looked kind of autumnal, so that's how I reference it in the story.

Oh! And Martin's thoughts make an appearance. I quite like Martin. He's a fully developed person in my head, and he's pretty awesome. But I doubt I'll develop him that much in the story – but I hope you guys get to like him as much as I do.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Shock in the Horror**

Booth pored over the case file again, considering the report of the inspector who had been working on the case. He felt that the man had done a pretty lacklustre job. He could see that Al had certainly appeared the most obvious suspect, but he certainly need only have been the only one. There were many avenues of investigation which could have been followed up that Booth could see just from reading the report. The inspector had made very little effort to try and find the scene of the crime, and Booth felt that it would be an important avenue to investigate.

He considered the new evidence that Brennan had added to the case after a mere ten minutes – the couple were murdered in a bed, and the male, Brad Turner, had taken a sizeable chunk out of his attacker.

He looked out the window for a moment, letting thoughts and images flood his mind. He knew it wasn't scientific, but the method worked for him.

Brennan looked in the rear view mirror at her partner, seeing that he was deep in thought. She wondered what he was thinking about – solving the murder in his mind, no doubt. She always marvelled at that; how he could _imagine _what had happened, and more often than not, be right. She knew it was something she could never learn. Just as he was sometimes awed at her prowess with forensics, she was awed at his brilliance when it came to understanding people.

She used to think she could understand him; she used to _know _how he felt about her, even before he admitted it. And like a fool, she had ignored how _she_ had felt, out of fear, out of idiocy. Her arrogance and her fear – her inability to change, had led her to make the biggest mistake of her life.

She sighed, turning her eyes towards the window, watching the scenery fly past.

Her sigh broke Booth out of his reverie, and he glanced at her in the mirror. He saw a look of pain on her face, and wondered what could have caused it. He thought about the day they'd been having, and thought it was quite good – she'd discovered evidence that would clear Al's name, and he couldn't think of anything that would have made her happier.

He threw the case file down next to him, staring stoically out the window. He used to know her so well. She wasn't an open book by any measure – but the years they had spent together, sharing their lives with each other; sharing almost everything – he had learned to read her, to know how she was feeling, what the right thing to do was when it came to her.

A distant, painful memory of a blustery fall night filled his mind and he pushed it away, not wanting to remember _that _moment.

_You knew her so well, Seeley. Yet you pushed her where she shouldn't have gone, and look at this __**mess **__it's caused. At least then you had some hope._

It was his turn to sigh.

With both of the Americans lost in a world of their own, Martin considered them both. Despite the fact that this Dr Brennan character seemed like a cold and rather arrogant woman, Martin could see the warmth in her eyes when she looked upon her partner, and despite the brusqueness, he saw the vulnerability and the fragility the she hid so well. In Booth he saw what everyone else did – the lion heart, the joking exterior – but just like Brennan, he hid certain truths about himself, and hence, bore a similarity to Brennan that not many others shared.

Martin hid his smile as they turned into the driveway of Alexander Norris. Neither of the two had given him much credence as a detective, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with this case prior to his assignment as Dr Brennan's temporary partner. Yet he saw with absolute clarity what these two intelligent, talented people appeared absolutely blind too.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Both Brennan and Booth slammed their doors as they exited the car, each feeling melancholy from their very similar thoughts. Brennan started to power up the pathway to the Norris family home, and Booth followed after her. Slightly bemused, Martin followed suit.

_Bloody hell, they're a dramatic couple._

Brennan knocked on the door, and couldn't help but smile as Josephine appeared behind the flyscreen door, grinning up at Brennan.

'Temperance! You're back!' She said, and Sarah appeared in the doorway behind Josephine. She looked sick with worry, and the mood Brennan appeared to be in did little to ease her stress.

Sarah opened the door to them with a strained smile, her hands on Josephine's shoulders.

Booth entered behind Brennan, smiling reassuringly at Sarah. Whatever he felt about Brennan right now, it was second to what Sarah was feeling for her husband. They should probably put her out of her misery.

'It's good news, Sarah. Great news, in fact. Your husband could very well have a clear name within what, ten minutes?' Booth said, smiling at Sarah, and then Ella, who had also appeared.

Sarah raised her eyebrows, shocked. She looked at Brennan, as if for confirmation.

Brennan nodded, smiling, her mood changing considerably as she remembered the reason they were here in the first place. Martin remained quietly in the background, watching the scene before him.

'Al!' Sarah called, and in a few moments Al was in the kitchen with them, looking even more nervous than his wife had. But when he saw the look of relief on his wife's face, he appeared to relax automatically. He looked at Brennan, his eyes shining.

'Have you done it already, Tempe?' He asked, sounding as though he was finally a free man.

'I have found evidence suggesting that the male victim bit his assailant before he was killed. Accordingly, the murderer would have obtained a scar which would match the dental imprint of Bradley Turner. The scar would need to be in a relatively obvious, non-fleshy part of the body; as the damage to the teeth of the victim could have only occur if he bit into bone.' She smiled reassuringly at Al, who was starting to look worried again.

She turned to look at Martin, addressing him.

'I concluded that the only place that Bradley could have bitten to obtain the damage to his teeth would be any of the fingers – it's quite possible that instead of a scar, the murderer may have had a part of his finger bitten off –'she added, as if an afterthought; 'the wrist,' she said, indicating too her own wrists, 'the face, or around the ankles, knees or hip bone. Basically, anywhere where there is little flesh on the body.'

'I really doubt Brad would have been taking chunks out of the knee, Bones,' he said, looking slightly mischievous again.

She considered him. 'I believe that we should cover all likelihoods, regardless. I want Al to be cleared on all charges, no doubts at all.'

Booth nodded, crossing his arms and stepping back.

Al looked to his wife, somewhat nervous. 'Sarah?' He asked, grabbing the bench before him, as if for support.

She went to him, giving him the support he needed, her arm around his hip, her head resting on his shoulder as she looked up at him. He smiled at her, and gave her a squeeze.

'Do you think you could take the kids outside?'

Sarah nodded, and the children, who had remained quiet up until then, piped up. Booth was pained by their confused expressions, desperately trying to work out what was going on.

'Daddy? What's happening?' Josephine asked, standing still beside her mother. Ella, on the other hand, was tugging at her father's shirt, looking slightly tearful.

Al leaned down to hug his children, looking as though he was on the verge of tears himself. Booth was trying to understand the sadness on Al's part – what did he have to fear?

Al stood up after giving his kids one last squeeze, having whispered reassurance too them. Sarah ushered them out of the kitchen door quietly, closing it behind her.

Al now faced Brennan, who looked at him apologetically.

'Martin will examine you for scars, and then you'll be free of all accusation, Al.' She smiled at him as Martin came over from the corner of the room, gesturing at Al too show him his hands and wrists.

Martin considered them, but even from a distance Booth could see that they were free of marks, and he certainly had all his fingers.

'Shirt off, please?' Martin asked, and Al obliged.

Again, his skin was free of any scars.

'Pants off,' Martin said, somewhat apologetically. Al obliged.

Standing in his kitchen in nothing but his jocks, Al was hardly the jovial, seemingly carefree man Booth had met just yesterday. Al refused to look at either Booth or Brennan, his eyes carefully trained on the floor.

Booth was trying so hard to be interested on the paintings on the wall to try and put Al at some level of ease that he didn't see what both Brennan and Martin saw, until he heard her sharp intake of breath.

He looked at her first, wondering what could be wrong. Then he realised, it was entirely obvious.

Looking at Al, he saw now that he was in handcuffs – because there was a semicircular scar on his knee. Al looked horrified, but not entirely surprised.

Booth felt his heart harden to this man, that he had trusted; that he had felt a connection too, an understanding of. He was shocked; absolutely shocked that he could have been so wrong about someone.

He looked at Brennan, who looked completely shattered, as though a fundamental truth in her life had been altered. She sat back on the bar stool, and Booth could see that she was trying to come to terms with it, to understand what had just happened.

'I can't believe-'she gasped, pulling her arms tight around herself. Booth walked over to her, automatically wanting to protect her, though he knew this was something he could not save her from. He enveloped him in his arms, holding her tight to him.

She barely registered his arms around her; she just kept on staring at Al. Booth too, considered him, and Al still looked horrified, but his jaw was set.

'I can explain, Tempe,' He said quietly, and Martin began to pull him out of the room. Al provided no objection.

They disappeared out the door, and Booth kept his arms around Brennan, and for a few moments, they remained in that position, not saying a word.

Martin re-appeared in the doorway, and addressed Booth.

'I'll take him downtown for questioning,' he said quietly. 'I'll need you both to come in later, though. But – don't hurry. We can wait until she's ready, Booth.'

Martin smiled sadly at the two, before disappearing out the door.

Booth released his grip slightly, and extended his arms so he could take a better look at her. She tried to smile up at him, but he could see that she was trying not to cry.

Automatically he pulled her in tight, her head resting on his chest as he stroked her hair gently.

'It's going to be okay, Temperance. It's going to be okay,' he said quietly, soothingly.

She shook her head against his chest, and he thought for a moment she was going to push him away. Instead she tightened her grip around him, and he heard her mutter very quietly, as if she didn't want him to hear –

'Nothing is okay.'

* * *

You have no idea how sorry I am to do that to you, readers. Please forgive me!


	9. Chapter 9

So, I felt bad about the cliff hanger - so here is the next chapter. Hope you like it :)**

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine: The Good in the Man**

They drove in silence. Brennan had refused to wait more than half an hour and so Booth had borrowed Sarah's car to get to the police station.

Sarah had been shocked when Booth had told her of her husband's arrest, and Booth wondered if maybe she didn't know what her husband had done. He felt so terrible for her, and Josephine and Ella – he felt like somehow, he had betrayed them. He knew that he had done no wrong – nor had Brennan. But it still felt as though they had.

Sarah still seemed as hopeful as ever as she handed the keys to Booth. She looked pained, but she did not look like a woman who thought her husband was a murderer.

'There is more to this story than it seems, Seeley. Don't give up on him.'

He'd nodded as he'd gotten in the car, the words echoing in his head, so similar to what Al had said to him about Brennan yesterday.

There was a feeling he just couldn't shake. The feeling that Al just couldn't have done it.

He looked at Brennan, who was staring out the window. She looked fairly calm.

He reached out, placing his hand on her knee.

'You okay, Bones?'

She turned to him, frowning slightly, as if she was trying to figure it out.

'I know Al, Booth. I know what kind of person he is. He's too _good _to have done this.'

She paused a moment, composing herself.

'Do you know how Al and I became friends, Booth?'

He shook his head, looking at her.

'You know that I had little money when I was younger – and it was no different at university. I had a scholarship, but most of it went too my course fees, and I had little left over for books, or food, or rent.'

Booth nodded, wondering where the story was headed.

'I couldn't afford all the books for my classes. They were expensive, so I only bought the ones that I thought were essential. But in one of my classes, the Professor made a huge deal out of the fact that I didn't have his book, and that I hadn't done the assigned reading. He told me that until I had his book, I couldn't come back.' She shook her head, looking out the window.

'How long did it take you to get the book?' Booth asked, still wondering how Al came into it.

She smiled a small smile, looking at me. 'About thirty seconds.'

Booth nodded, finally realising where the story was headed.

'Al had been sitting behind me, and he just passed the book to me without a word. Inside he'd written "Temperance Brennan", as if the book had been mine all along.'

She crossed her arms, turning back to look at Booth.

'He wouldn't accept it back; he wouldn't even admit that he'd given the damn thing to me. He acted as though he'd just found my book on his desk, and returned it to me.'

She shook her head again, and rubbed her eyes.

'A man like that _does not _commit murder,' she muttered.

.-.-.-.-.-.

'He didn't do it,' Martin said to Booth, after Brennan had headed down to her little lab to look at the skeletons again.

Booth was stunned.

'What?' He asked, heading to the door so he could find Brennan. She'd be absolutely thrilled – and he couldn't deny, so was he. 'How do you figure?'

'The scar only looks like a human bite mark at a stretch,' Martin admitted, somewhat sheepishly.

Booth was shocked at Martin's admittance, and looked flabbergasted for a moment. But only for a moment - anger soon bubbled up inside him, and he suddenly felt the urge to crush this man beneath his fist. He stepped forward, towering over Martin.

'You tell us this _now?'_

'I'm telling _you_ this, Booth,' he said pointedly, standing his ground before Booth.

Booth stared at him, wondering what was wrong with the man. He arrested Al for no good reason, and then didn't even tell him or Brennan that he knew their friend was innocent?

_Is he a sociopath or something?_

'Why the hell would you do this?'

Martin sighed deeply, before turning to face the two way mirror. Al sat in the interrogation room, looking nervous and tired, as if he was at the end of his tether. Booth could hardly blame him, and now felt bad for having believed the worst of him.

'He's hiding something. You can see it, Booth,' he said, turning back around to face Booth. 'That man has endured months of accusations, risked his career, and has generally suffered greatly for a crime he obviously didn't commit.'

Booth considered Martin with a new kind of respect. He nodded, stepping towards the mirror to watch Al. Behind him, Martin continued to speak.

'This is the first time Al has been pulled in over something more than here-say and speculation. Yes, the scar wasn't made by human teeth and Al himself can probably prove that. But he's shaken. He's not a lawyer, and I think he could be convinced that because of that scar on his leg, he could be taken to court.'

Booth shook his head, not liking where it was going, but he could see the logic in Martin's thinking.

'Bones would never have let you do this, so she couldn't know.' He said quietly, turning to look at Martin, who was nodding.

'You can see how tired he is, Booth. He's ready to talk. He just needs the right person to talk too.'

Martin looked at him pointedly, and Booth nodded.

'You have to find out what he knows, what he's done – whatever it is that he is keeping secret. Once you do that, Al will be free to go, and we'll be closer to solving the case.'

'I don't like this,' Booth said, heading over to the door.

'You don't have too,' Martin replied, smiling grimly at Booth, before adding. 'But you know this is the best thing to do. You'd have done the exact same thing if you weren't personally connected to Alexander, or Dr Brennan. And in the end, this is what is best for both of them.'

Booth nodded, leaving the room. He couldn't deny Martin's logic.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth closed the door quietly behind him, turning to find Al smiling at him, despite the fact that he had been waiting in an interrogation room for the last hour, handcuffed, and in on murder charges.

'I'm not going to hold this against you, you know,' Al said, flashing his cheeky grin. Booth could see behind the facade, but he was still surprised by the frivolity the Al seemed to possess.

Booth sat down across from him, reaching out to uncuff Al. Al smiled, taking back his hands and massaging his wrists.

'Thanks,' he said, sitting back, looking almost relaxed.

'I know you didn't do it, Al.'

Al nodded, trying to smile. 'I'm surprised by how fast Tempe believed I had, though,' he said, and Booth could see that he was hurt.

He shook his head. 'She didn't,' he said, pulling out two photos from the case file. 'She told me she couldn't believe you could do such a thing. Instead, she told me a story, about what a great man you are.'

Al shook his head, looking directly at Booth, and pointedly away from the photos. So, Booth picked them up, right in the way of Al's view.

He put the photos down, pushing them across the table towards Al, who, after a few moments, finally picked up the picture of the girl.

'Justine Cooper,' Booth said, and Al nodded, staring at the photo of the female victim.

'Be that great man that Temperance knows you are, Al,' Booth said quietly, watching Al. 'It's time you tell the truth.'

Al put the picture down, placing it carefully on the table, as if it were precious. Booth was reeling through possibilities in his mind, wondering what it was that Al could be keeping from the world.

_Affair? Drugs? Love Child? Blackmail?_

Nothing seemed to fit.

Finally Al spoke.

'She reminded me so much of Temperance,' he said quietly, picking up the photo again. 'Justine was so smart, so vibrant, so confident – so beautiful,' he added, handing the photo to Booth.

He considered the picture. The girl had been beautiful, undoubtedly. Booth could see that the photo would have done her no justice. Though she bore no resemblance to Brennan, there was a similar air too both the women that Booth had not observed before.

Booth looked back at Al, who looked unbearably sad.

'She was amazing, Seeley. I'd never come across a student more adept, more inspiring. I think she would have even given Temperance a run for her money,' he said, smiling wryly. 'I couldn't believe it when they found her body. I'd hoped that she'd run away – but I'd never really believed she would have. She wasn't the type to run away from things.'

Booth could see that Al was going to talk, that he'd finally decided to tell the truth.

Al looked at Booth pointedly.

'I want you to know Seeley, that I didn't lie for my own sake. I did it for her,' he said, gesturing at the photo of Justine.

'She's dead, Al. You should have spoken up before things got out of hand.'

But he shook his head. 'I made her a promise, Seeley. She trusted me.'

Al paused again, and Booth thought it looked as though he was trying to figure out where to start. Deciding to help him along, Booth asked him a question.

'Did you have a sexual relationship with Justine, Al?' He asked quietly, sitting back in his chair and watching Al's reaction.

Al didn't look surprised by the question. 'I did not.' He said quietly. 'But the relationship we shared _was _inappropriate. It was inappropriate for a first year university student and her professor to be so close... but she was so – charming, Booth. I couldn't help but be taken with her.' He paused. 'It's that relationship, which fuelled her sexual allegations against me. People readily assumed that we were having all sorts of sordid affairs,' he said, looking pained. 'I shouldn't have gotten so close to her,' he muttered, pushing the photo of her away, as if distancing himself from her in her death would somehow help him now.

'Why did she make complaints against you?' Booth asked, leaning forward on the desk.

Al looked at him. 'I didn't know, to start with. She'd gone home one night, happy as a clam, and by the next night I had been given a warning, and the faculty had started to investigate me.'

'But you found out why she had accused you, before she was murdered?' Booth asked, watching Al intently.

Al nodded. 'That argument people apparently saw us have? That wasn't an argument. That was an apology.'

He smiled humourlessly.

'She told me then what had happened, why she'd done it. She apologised profusely, and then she told me her troubles. And I helped her, I promised to help her.'

Al's face crumpled with sadness, and for a moment he hid his face in his hands. Booth was surprised by the outburst of emotion, and didn't know what to do. Luckily, Al regained composure quickly.

'She was pregnant,' he burst out, and Booth could see that this was the secret that he'd been keeping since the moment he'd been told by Justine herself. Booth was surprised – in this day and age, it was hardly that scandalous.

Booth tried to understand, mulling over the facts in his head.

Al smiled at him. 'You're wondering why I kept that quiet for so long,' he said, leaning forward in his chair, so that he was closer to Booth. Booth nodded.

'She's terrified of her parents,' he said, shaking his head sadly. 'Even now, I wouldn't be surprised if she was turning in her grave because I just told you this,'

Booth frowned, looking over the case files. There had only been a brief mention of the girl's parents, and it had been none too in depth.

'They were uber-religious, fundamentalist to the core. Justine herself was quite spiritual - there was no way she was going to abort the child,'

Booth nodded. 'Why would she have made allegations against you? I doubt that would have made her parents all that happy?'

Al nodded. 'She needed money, she needed to be independent before her parents found out – she was absolutely terrified of what they might do.' He said, quietly. 'She was terrified, and she wasn't really thinking about what she was doing. When she came to me to apologise, to tell me why she'd done it, I told her I'd help her. With money, a place to stay, anything she needed. Justine was one of those _special _people, you know? She was so much like Tempe...'

His voice trailed off, and he looked absolutely shattered.

'What was she going to do with the child?' Booth asked, watching Al closely.

Al put his head in his hands for a moment, composing himself. When he raised his head, a few tears had fallen down his face, but his voice was relatively strong.

'Sarah and I were going to adopt him. I lost a son, Booth. I lost a son.'

The realisation that Josephine and Ella were not Sarah and Al's children hit him as though it had been in front of him all that time, and he realised that it had been, really. Josephine hadn't looked like either of her parents, and Ella only bore resemblance to Al in her personality.

'Josephine and Ella are adopted?' Booth asked, wanting to confirm his suspicion.

Al nodded sadly. 'Sarah can't have children. We'd been thinking about adopting another child – it had all just seemed like perfect timing.' He said, somewhat bitterly.

Booth nodded. He saw that Al knew nothing about the murder, but he now had some further leads to follow up, and Al's name would be clear.

Booth stood up, walking around the table to put his hand on the man's shoulder.

'I'll get Tempe to take a dental imprint of Brad Turner so we can verify that your scar isn't a match with it,' he said quietly.

Al nodded, a trace of humour in his eyes. Booth could tell that Al knew that he could have done that all along – Booth knew that Al had really had no reason to talk at all.

'Why did you start talking, Al?' Booth asked, releasing the man's shoulder.

'Because it was time I did,' he said, matter of factly.

Booth nodded, heading for the door. He paused before he opened it, wondering how things were between them now – how things would be between Temperance and Al.

'I'll see you both at home?' Al piped up, and Booth turned to catch Al's genuine smile.

Booth nodded, smiling.

Brennan had been right. This man was good, good to the core.

* * *

Contrived, I knooow. Over dramatic, I knoooow. But in my defense, there is no way the actual show Bones hasn't been that contrived or dramatic before. It's actually quite understated. *looks sheepish*

Hope you enjoyed :)


	10. Chapter 10

Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy day to you :) Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one. Because I'm a happy little Christmas elf, I may update again today, as my present to all you readers. I hope your day is filled with family, friends, and excellent food! 3 **

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**Chapter Ten: The Happily Ever After in the Middle**

Martin and Brennan stood together outside the interrogation room, and she looked pissed off. Looking up, she saw Booth, and stormed over to him.

'Why didn't you come and tell me?' She demanded, standing inches away from him, her glare almost burning holes in his skin.

He cleared his throat. 'It was necessary, Bones. We had to get the truth from him.'

She shook her head angrily. 'You _know _me Booth. You know I can compartmentalise. I would have understood why you were doing what you were doing, and I wouldn't have intruded. But you _should have told me_.'

She glared at him for a moment, before storming away, disappearing down the corridor. Booth considered for a moment going after her, and then thought that it probably wasn't the best idea.

Martin walked over to Booth, an apologetic look on his face. 'You did the right thing, Booth.' He looked into the distance, down the corridor where Brennan had just disappeared.

'I can see that usually she'd be calm and composed about a case, and certainly be able to compartmentalise, and be rational about things –'

Booth nodded. 'But she's too close to this one.'

_She wasn't even like this for her father's case. These two must have been like family..._

He thought about another time when she hadn't been entirely rational, calm, or collected.

_When I was kidnapped by the gravedigger._

Martin watched Booth, before taking him by the shoulder.

'It's been a long day. I'll sort things out with Al – take Dr Brennan for some food, a drink - there's a good cafe my partner and I usually go too across the road.' He said, smiling at Booth kindly.

Booth smiled back. Despite what Martin had put himself, and his partner through, he couldn't help but like the guy. He was certainly a good detective.

'What's it called?' He asked, as they both started to head down the corridor.

'The Lion's Den,' Martin said, unable to hide his smile.

Booth too, couldn't help but smile wryly. He felt as though he were about to walk into a lion's den by confronting Brennan again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

She stared at him over her coffee. She'd calmed down a fair amount after she had gone and talked to Al, who had reassured her that everything was going to be fine. He was being processed at the moment, statements and photos and all the official stuff was being taken care of. Al would drive them back to his house after it was all behind him – finally a man free of accusation.

But the murder still hadn't been solved.

Booth was resigned to a little bit of icy silence from Brennan, so he sat pondering the case, wondering who on earth could have done it. They would have to find the crime scene, talk to Justine's parents, her friends, her boyfriend's friends –

'What are you thinking about, Booth?' She asked, interrupting his thoughts. He didn't mind.

He smiled at her. 'The case,'

She nodded. 'I thought so,'

She took a sip of her coffee.

'When I was considering the two remains today, I noted that the stab wounds were elicited by someone who knew their way around a human body. They may have looked haphazard, but each blow had the capacity to be fatal. I'm surprised Brad Turner managed to wound his assailant,' she said, looking over her cup at him again.

He nodded. 'You think this was done by one of her classmates, or a Professor,'

She paused for a moment, before she spoke. 'Initially I just thought it was just a case of the evidence beginning to stack up against Al,' she said, somewhat angrily. 'But now, yes, I would think that the murder was committed by a student.'

Booth considered her thoughts, agreeing. 'She was top of the class, beautiful, popular – I imagine that she would have had enemies, even if she didn't know it.'

She nodded. 'I can't believe the detective working on this case didn't follow up all this sort of information. Even if Al appeared to be the perfect suspect, it's fairly pathetic police work.'

She drank the last of her coffee and placed her cup down carefully, leaning forward to steal some of Booth's chocolate cake.

He grinned at her, shaking his head. 'I offered to get you a piece, Bones,'

She grinned at him impishly, her eyes shining. 'Well, I was angry at you then.'

He raised his eyebrows at her, trying to see her logic. 'You were angry at me... so you didn't let me buy you chocolate cake?'

She nodded. 'It makes perfect sense,'

He nodded knowingly. 'You're making a joke, aren't you?'

She looked at him, fork in mouth, nodding. 'You should laugh, Booth!'

He rolled his eyes. 'If you have to tell the person to laugh Bones, it's just not that funny,' he teased, taking the fork off her.

She made her wounded face, then laughed, watching him eat his cake. He was down the last mouthful, and he saw her watching him.

'You want the last bite, Bones?' He asked, waving the piece of cake around on the fork. She laughed as he teased her, shaking her head at his foolishness.

'Oh, you don't want it?' He said, bringing the fork to his mouth.

'Well, I didn't say that –'she said, deciding to play along.

He stopped, looking at her over the top of his precariously placed piece of cake.

'All yours, Bones,' he said, directing the fork at her and smiling. She opened her mouth delicately, and he placed the cake in her mouth, drawing the fork out slowly, and Brennan was surprised to find herself looking intently at Booth, directly into his eyes.

The atmosphere between them had changed. She found herself looking down, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, before looking back up, to find Booth still looking at her intently, a small smile on his face, as if he was starting to understand something. She too, was beginning to feel as though she was coming to some sort of realisation, and she could help but smile broadly at what that realisation was.

'Booth –' she said, reaching her hand across the table –

They both jumped as her phone went off, Hot Blooded blasting into the relatively small cafe, a few diners looking up, annoyed. Her hand, which had been reaching for Booth's, quickly changed course, and she grabbed her phone, answering.

'Brennan,' she said, heart racing from what she'd almost just done.

'It's Al, Tempe. Time I go home,'

Booth listened to the conversation, sitting back, wondering what it was that Brennan had wanted to say, what she would say that would make her reach out for him like that.

_She couldn't... _

Hope started to drift into his head, happy thoughts which he hadn't dared to think for such a long time.

She hung up the phone, smiling at him. 'Back to the station, Booth. You've got the keys to Al's car, and it's time he went home. Al is a free man,'

He grinned. 'That's great news, Bones. You must be so relieved.'

She nodded, both of them standing up to leave.

In the fresh air, he turned to look at her as they walked side by side.

'What were you going to tell me in the cafe, Bones?'

She looked at him, considering telling him what she had planned too.

The moment had passed.

She crossed her arms, squinting her eyes in the sunlight.

'Nothing,' she said, and they crossed the road.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Al was quiet during the trip home, and neither Booth nor Brennan spoke, not wanting to disturb his thoughts. Only once they had pulled into the driveway did Al turn to look at them, and Booth was relieved to see a peaceful look on his face. When Booth had met Al, he had thought he had looked youthful – but now it looked as though five years had been taken away from his face.

He smiled at them genuinely. 'Without both of you, I would still be considered a guilty man, I'd still be keeping that secret to myself. It was foolish, I know, but I was convinced I was doing the right thing.'

Booth nodded, understanding the man's code of ethics. Brennan crossed her arms, having thought once she'd heard Al's truth that he had been an idiot for not speaking up sooner – but she remained silent.

'Sarah knew, of course. But I think – and I don't want to impose anything on you, but I think that tonight should be for my family. The kids don't really know what's been happening, and I think it's time I was honest.'

They exited the car, and they all started heading up the pathway slowly.

'You could take the car, show Booth some of Sydney, Tempe. There's no reason your trip here should be all work and no play,' he said, starting to sound more like his jovial self.

Booth liked the sound of it.

Brennan smiled, before putting her hand on Al's shoulder, making him stop.

'I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Al. I shouldn't have.'

Al smiled kindly at her, turning to give a huge hug. 'It's okay, Tempe. It was the rational thing to do.'

She squeezed him tightly, before letting him go. 'You're a better man than most, Al.'

He nodded, before turning back towards his house. Sarah was standing on the veranda, smiling hugely.

Al went to her, holding her to him in a tight embrace, kissing her forehead. She pulled him into a rather passionate kiss, and only stopped once their children cam bounding out of the house, making disgusted noises. The couple broke apart, laughing, and Al swept his children up in his arms.

Booth couldn't help but feel warmed by the happiness and love he saw before him. He looked to Brennan, who was smiling gently, leaning towards Booth.

He wanted so much to reach out to her, give her a hug.

And then he realised, there was nothing stopping him.

He pulled her into a hug, and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

She didn't move away, but looked slightly surprised. Smiling up at him, she squeezed him around the waist, before letting him go.

'Thanks, Booth,' she said.

_And that's how we begin._

_

* * *

_

Yay. A nice happy ending in the middle. And yeah, just to clarify, it's not the end, don't worry.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for no double update yesterday - I was busy with Christmas celebrations, as I'm sure most of you were! Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter, and I do hope you enjoy this one!**

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** Chapter Eleven: The Mistletoe in the Doorway**

He sat on the couch, waiting for her to get ready. Booth and Brennan had decided to head out for dinner and drinks, to give the family some peace, as Al had requested. The family was cheerful, and the smell of curry and spices wafted through the house. It was a hot evening, and Al and Booth shared another beer as Sarah crashed around in the kitchen.

After yet another thunderous crash of pots and pans, Al looked at Booth, giving him a slight grin. 'You know, I think she's trying to tell me something,' he said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen. Booth smiled, taking another sip of his beer.

For awhile he just sat in silence, considering the day that had just passed. Despite the drama of the day, it had turned out quite nicely, and he was really looking forward to spending his evening with Brennan.

Especially when he saw what she was wearing.

She appeared in the doorway to the room, almost self consciously. Her hair was slightly curled, and the make-up she wore was more obvious than usual, her eyes smoky, her lips ruby red. And she was wearing that red dress he'd bought for her in L.A. a few years ago. He remembered the way he had thought she looked then, and couldn't help but grin. Then, he'd been blown away with her beauty, how sexy she was, but the depth of his emotion had gone little past what any man felt when they saw a beautiful woman. Today – he was still blown away, but that heat he felt in his heart, in his soul, _that _was what had changed.

She looked at him, smiling somewhat nervously. Booth couldn't help but be touched. He couldn't remember a time she'd ever gotten so dressed up, just for him.

'You look beautiful, Bones. Kind of makes me feel underdressed,' he said, gesturing at his attire – jeans and a button down t-shirt.

She shook her head, smiling. 'You look excellent, Booth,' she said, matter of factly.

Sarah and Al appeared behind Booth, having heard their conversation. Al let out a low whistle.

'Gees, Tempe. You're a stunner!' He said, before giving his wife a sideways glance. Sarah caught the glance and rolled her eyes.

'You look lovely, Temperance. Where did you get that dress?' Sarah asked, smiling at Brennan.

Brennan smoothed the fabric over her legs, before raising her eyes to look at Sarah.

'Booth actually bought the dress for me a couple of years ago, for an undercover operation. I packed the dress on a whim – I haven't worn it since then. I thought I might have the opportunity while in Australia.'

Sarah nodded, looking impressed at Booth's taste.

Al was more impressed by the mention of an undercover operation. 'An undercover operation?' He asked, incredulously. 'Now that sounds more exciting than marking term papers,'

Booth had to agree.

'Where are you guys headed out tonight?' Sarah asked, ignoring her husband.

Brennan replied. 'We were thinking of going to the restaurant Al mentioned to us – the Raja's Palace?'

Al nodded, and Sarah smiled. 'He takes me there on dates all the time. You guys should have a great time,'

'This isn't a date,' Brennan and Booth said in unison, and Sarah and Al just hid their smiles.

There was a pause before anyone spoke again. Checking his watch, Booth spoke up.

'Ready to go, Bones?' He asked, taking his wallet and phone of the table and placing it in his pocket.

She lifted up the bag and cardigan in her hands, nodding. 'Ready,'

They began to head to the door, wishing Sarah and Al a good night. The children seemed to be off playing somewhere.

Before they left, Al handed Booth the spare house keys.

'You'll be able to open the door to your room downstairs without coming up here,' he said, grinning.

Booth took the key, smiling, before following Brennan out to Al's car.

Watching from the doorway, Al put his arm around Sarah.

'Kind of feels like watching your kid go out on their first date, doesn't it?' She asked, smiling up at him.

Al paused a moment, watching them get into his car.

'Sarah,' he said, unable to hide his smile, 'I don't even want to think about Josephine dating.'

He kissed her forehead, and they headed inside, laughing.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The restaurant Al had suggested was off the beaten track, and it had taken Booth and Brennan awhile to find the place, despite the GPS system in Al's car. It probably had something to do with the gentle bickering over who got to drive that caused the problem.

By the time they'd parked and gotten to the restaurant, they'd missed their reservation, and their table had been given away.

'How long until we can eat?' Booth asked, looking around the bustling restaurant.

The waiter looked over his list on the computer, and then looked out at the crowded room. He turned back to Booth, apologetically.

'I'm sorry, sir. It's been surprisingly busy tonight – I couldn't guarantee you a place for at least another hour,' he said, with a slight Indian accent.

Booth looked at Brennan, who didn't look slightly put out.

'Don't worry about it, Booth – Chinatown is just a few blocks away, and Al told me about the night market last time I was here, but I never got the chance to go and see it.' She tugged at his arm, pulling him away – there was a line forming behind them.

Booth considered her attire – her fancy dress, all the way down to her stiletto heels.

'Sure you're dressed right for a market, Bones?'

'You don't like what I'm wearing?' She asked, and he couldn't quite tell if he was being serious.

'You look beautiful,' he said, just as a large crowd of rowdy student-types walked in, making enough noise so that Booth couldn't be heard.

'What?' She asked, leaning closer to him.

'You look –'he said, leaning towards her so his mouth was inches away from hers. She turned her head, so that her ear was turned towards him –'beautiful.'

She leaned back, grinning at him. 'I know,' she said, letting out a small laugh.

Booth rolled his eyes, pulling her out of the crowded restaurant.

'So, can we eat at this market, then?'

She pulled her cardigan on – there was a slight breeze, and the night had cooled, somewhat.

'Course. And Chinese food is our thing, Booth,' she said, bumping her hip against his.

He smiled. 'Chinese food is everyone's thing, Bones,'

She looked at him, nodding. 'I suppose. But it feels like it's special to us.'

It was Booth's turn to nod. He couldn't really disagree.

.-.-.-.-.

It was crowded outside the entrance, and gaudy Christmas decorations were everywhere. A huge Christmas tree lit up the night, and Brennan and Booth stood before it all, before turning to look at each other, smiling. The air was intoxicating – the smell of food, spices, smoke, and a certain sweetness surrounded them. Thousands of people milled about, murmuring in different languages that combined to form one universal sound.

Booth extended his arm to Brennan, and she linked hers with his. Together, they joined the throng.

.-.-.-.-.

They'd found a food stall which had seats set up under a shelter. It was hardly fine dining, but it was delicious.

'I love markets, Booth,' Brennan said, her face aglow. 'They're so interesting anthropologically, but they're just so... I can't even think of the word, Booth,' she said, pausing to smile at him. 'The atmosphere is so exciting.'

Booth nodded, smiling. He'd never really been so keen on markets. But Brennan's happiness was contagious, and he too was enjoying himself.

They finished their meal, and headed back into the crowd.

Brennan paused at every other market stall, looking at silks, jewellery, trinkets, and even clothing. Booth was happy to tag along, watching her peruse through items, run her hands over the silks. Their arms remained linked – Brennan told herself it was only so they wouldn't lose each other in the crowds – before, almost as though it were a natural progression, Booth felt her hand in his.

It was hardly a momentous event, but it felt like it for both of them. Neither was sure who had taken the other's hand, or why. Neither made any great deal of it. Their conversation continued, and they kept stopping at stalls.

But neither let the other one go.

.-.-.-.-.

She parked the car in the driveway, looking up at the house. The Christmas lights were all on, twinkling at them both.

'It's beautiful, isn't it? I've never really enjoyed Christmas but... it really is beautiful.'

Booth looked at her, unable to hide his smile. 'I'm glad you're coming around to the idea of Christmas, Bones. It's the best time of the year, after all.'

She turned to look at him, smiling. 'I can almost believe that, Booth.'

'Almost?' He asked, as they got out of the car.

'Well, it's still a holiday largely manufactured by corporations, its religious basis is not factual –'

Booth cut her off with a groan. 'Christmas is what you make it, Bones. Family, friends, love, peace on earth. All those good things.'

She nodded, crossing her arms. 'I can see the logic in that,' she said, before heading towards the house. They walked up in relative silence, until they reached the door to their room.

'Did you have a good night, Booth?' She asked, as he reached into his pocket for the keys.

'I had a great night, Bones. One of the best I've had in a very long time,' He said, sincerely. She smiled at him, eyes shining.

'It was a good night, Booth. We should do things together more often,' she said, reaching out to punch his arm.

He grinned, pushing the key into the lock and opening the door. He was about to walk through, put Brennan had taken a hold of the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him back out.

'Bones?' He asked, looking at her. She was pointing up, a small smile on her face.

He looked up, and saw a small Christmas decoration hanging above them.

Mistletoe.

He couldn't help but grin. It looked like Al or Sarah – or both; had decided to play little matchmaking Christmas elves. He shook his head, grinning at Brennan. He was about to turn away to head inside, but was surprised to find her still holding onto his arm.

He looked at her closely, wondering what she was up too.

_Does she want me to kiss her?_

She let go of him, but remained looking directly at him.

'It's a silly tradition,' she said, rather quietly. 'It has its roots in Scandinavia-'

He cut her off, not really interested in hearing the anthropological history of mistletoe.

'We wouldn't want to bring about bad luck, though, would we?'

She shook her head. 'The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe has nothing to do with bad luck.'

'Still,' he said, leaning towards her – she was only inches away from him now. 'We certainly don't want to break tradition,'

She said nothing, and they remained in that position, inches apart from the other, waiting, as if to work out what the other was thinking, to see who would make the first move.

He leaned further, deciding it was going to be him – before, too his surprise, she found that he had met him halfway.

He'd kissed her before.

But never like this.

* * *

Yaaaaay! Consider that my (late) Christmas present to all of you! That's why I wanted to update it again yesterday :P


	12. Chapter 12

Hope I've done this right :) Enjoy!

* * *

** Chapter Twelve: The Monumental in the Night**

Brennan couldn't explain the thoughts or emotion that ran through her body, and only once before had she felt like that. She'd always felt as though she had an answer for everything, that everything could be explained, could be rationalised. After she kissed Booth for the first time, alcohol and anger had burned away what she had felt then, what she had instinctually felt for Booth. She had recognised then that kissing him had felt different to every other man she'd kissed, even being with him – simply spending time with him; was more satisfying than it was than with any other man. Yet she had ignored it, and she had finally realised that that was hardly rational.

She had feared this unknown quantity, what was unexplainable, yet so very evident; to the extent it was almost tangible. Despite the fact that she had felt it course through her veins and drift through her thoughts, she had disregarded it. When she finally recognised it, she denied it. And that denial had forced her to live the past few months in regret: of her cowardice, and her inability to take the leap.

She'd taken that leap now, and she finally felt fearless.

They finally broke apart, but he refused to let her go. Their foreheads remained connected, and he had his arms linked firmly around her waist. She saw his eyes twinkle, and despite the lack of light, a broad, unrestrained smile on his face.

He was at a loss for words, for actions even. He just knew he didn't want to let her go, now that she was finally in his arms, and the way she was looking at him made him feel that she was there to stay.

'Shall we go inside?' She asked, quietly.

He nodded, taking her by the hand and leading her inside, closing the door quietly behind him. As soon as that door closed, he was bombarded with uncertainty, not sure what he was supposed to do now, or if that kiss had even meant to her what it had meant to him.

_Am I supposed to talk about us now? Kiss her again?_

He looked at her, and she saw the uncertainty on his face. She frowned slightly, wondering if she'd done the wrong thing by kissing him, if she'd made yet another mistake. She turned away, trying to hide her sadness, but Booth saw the emotion on her face.

He went over to her, caught her hand, and turned his face to look at him. He lifted her chin up, stroking her cheek.

_Please, God, let this finally be our time._

She smiled a small smile, her eyes less sad.

'Do you still want this?' She asked, turning her eyes away, as if she was waiting for rejection.

He waited until she looked back at him, so that she could see the warmth in his eyes, and so that he could look into hers.

'There's nothing I want more, Temperance.'

And she smiled. With pure, complete happiness. She pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him tight to her, and he squeezed her back. He'd never felt closer to anyone in his entire life, he'd never felt more complete. It felt as though the universe was shifting around them, as if it was accommodating for a new entity that they'd created, because they were now one, two people that fit together perfectly. When they pulled apart, that lingering connection remained – the bond that had been there for so many years now, but which had finally been fortified by them both.

He was surprised to see her turn away, wiping at a few tears that had fallen, and he instantly pulled her back into a hug, cradling her head to his chest.

'Are you okay, Bones?' he asked, terrified that in that embrace they'd shared, we're _he'd _thought that everything was starting to make sense, she'd been rationalising and considering everything from her scientific point of view and decided that they shouldn't be together after all.

He felt her nod, and laugh quietly. 'It would appear that my body's reaction to this onslaught of happiness and emotion is to cry,' she mumbled into his chest.

He held her tight to him, touched by her frankness, and what almost seemed like innocence.

Then he realised, regardless of her experience, she was innocent to _this. _Too love.

The realisation that so too was he hit him soon after.

He released her from his grips, holding her at a slight distance. He wiped away the tears from her cheek with his thumb, before kissing her forehead. She smiled up at him, tentatively.

Everything before them was such an unknown.

He put his arm around her, and headed over to the double-bed, sitting down. She followed suit, but instead leaned back against the wall, watching him.

If it had been any other man, they would have both been undressed by now, and she would have most likely found herself on top of him. But this was Booth, and it didn't feel right to jump into such a thing. She was ashamed to admit to herself that her head was reeling from what had happened this evening, almost as though her head couldn't keep up with all the emotion and thoughts.

_That _had certainly never happened before.

He'd already decided that it wouldn't be right to sleep with her now, to push her even further this evening than maybe she wanted to go. Despite the fact they were both adults and sex was hardly a knew thing for either, the thought of it with the other felt like some sort of monumental decision that couldn't be taken lightly, that was almost as important to them as their decision to be together in the first place.

He wasn't going to deny that his desire for her was so outrageously tempting that he practically had to sit on his hands to keep them off her. But he so desperately wanted to be the gentleman, to treat her right, to show her that she was so absolutely precious to him.

He shifted on the bed, so he too was leaning back against the wall next to her. She looked at him, smiling. Neither of them could really keep from smiling.

'I'm going to get ready for bed,' she said, pecking him on the cheek before getting up, grabbing the pyjamas which she'd set over a chair, and disappeared into the bathroom.

He lay back on the bed, still grinning broadly. He'd been smiling so much this evening he was surprised his jaw didn't hurt.

He undid his shirt, pulling it and his wife-beater off. He then pulled off his pants, dropping them on the floor next to him. He wondered if maybe she'd be affronted by his lack of clothing, if she'd think he wasn't respecting her by wearing more?

He doubted it, but decided to pull on the t-shirt and track pants he'd worn for breakfast this morning, before heading over to the bathroom door and knocking. She opened it, wearing her no-nonsense cotton pyjamas, and brushing her teeth. He indicated to his toothbrush, and she let him in.

Once they exited the bathroom, she wondered if they were going to take the bed together, or if they would sleep alone. She headed over to her bed, pulling back the covers to get in. She saw him watching her, as if waiting for an invitation.

She smiled, drawing back the covers of the other side of the bed. Happily, he followed after her, sliding into her bed. They remained silent a moment, both leaning against the wall, thinking. His hand lay upon the covers, and she reached out for him, interlocking her fingers in his.

He looked at her, smiling at her tentativeness, before kissing her fingertips. He wanted nothing more than to tell her that he loved her, and to show her, too. But he had decided to take this at _her _pace.

'We should get some sleep,' he said, noncommittally. 'We still have that case to solve, after all.'

She nodded, surprised at herself for not thinking of that fact earlier.

'Sleep well, Booth.' She said, reaching out to turn of the light.

'Sweet dreams, Bones.'

.-.-.-.-.

Neither could sleep. Booth could feel his body buzzing with energy, which only fed of the electricity that lay between them both. She couldn't keep her heart from racing; she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the beautiful man that lay beside her, and more than that, _exactly _what she wanted to do with him.

She was cradled in his arms, her head resting against his chest, his heartbeat loud in her ears. She distracted herself from her thoughts by the sound of it, the strong, steady beat calming her mind. She breathed deeply, absentmindedly tracing patterns on his stomach with a fingertip.

Too her surprise, she felt his heart rate speed up slightly.

She continued to trace patterns until his heartbeat went back to normal, before she innocently snaked her hand under his shirt, tracing patterns along his lower abdomen.

His heartbeat became quite erratic.

'What are you doing?' He breathed, and she looked up at him, smiling almost mischievously.

'I couldn't sleep,' she said, as if that were an answer.

'Me either,' he said, reaching down for his hand and placing it safely on his chest, just above his heart. He closed his eyes again, hoping that she would stop tempting him. It was hard enough to have her pressed up against him like this, so it was hardly fair of her to start teasing her with her electrifying fingertips!

She grinned, feeling more mischievous than she could ever remember feeling. She could see that he wanted to play it safe with her, be a gentleman, and maintain all of his old fashioned, slightly Catholic ideals.

She had decided she didn't want any of it.

'Booth?' She whispered, running her foot up the inside of one of his legs, dragging up his track pants with it.

'Yes?' he asked carefully, as if trying to ignore the sensations her wandering foot was giving him.

She stopped, before propping herself up on her elbow, gazing directly at him.

She didn't actually have anything to say. She just wanted to get his attention.

She reached out to trace her fingertips over his cheekbones, his mouth, his chin. She could only just make out his features by the moonlight that streamed through the crack in the curtains.

She ran her fingers over his mouth again, and he kissed her fingertips, almost uncertainly, as if he wasn't entirely sure what she was up too. She thought it was entirely obvious.

He captured her hand in his, carefully pulling it away from his face.

She was driving him insane. He'd _decided _that he didn't want to do this, because he didn't think _she _wanted to do this. It was too much, and too fast.

_Yeah. Six years is way too fast, Seeley._

He sat up, and she straightened out, her eyes bright.

He reached out to cup her face in his hand, now running his thumb over her lip. She tantalisingly kissed it, with a naïveté he knew she didn't have, yet he knew it wasn't an act, either.

Her actions were literally causing him to ache, and sitting on his hands would no longer make a difference, as she seemed set on having her own way. So he leaned forward, crushing her lips to his, and finally, _finally, _showing her exactly how he felt, how he'd felt for so long now.

Despite his convictions, it would appear that two monumental events were going to occur that night.

* * *

Now, I'm going to leave this up to what you readers want, so please leave a review telling me - do you want me to write you a chapter detailing their sexy fun time, or shall I leave that to your imagination and just have the next chapter as the morning after, and straight back into the case? I leave that too you... but ultimately I get veto power :P I'm not sure if I want to make this an M rating, but I'll take readers desires into account, of course.

Hope you enjoyed :)


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, so taking what everyone said into account, I made a compromise between what I wanted to do and what you guys wanted. Hope you all find it enjoyable. I didn't want to make it an M rating, but I since do enjoy partaking in a little smutty writing (despite the fact I think the only way you can really describe sex is 'oh god', 'expletive', 'unintelligible noise that may sound like a person in pain' – or a mixture of the three) I thought description but not overly descriptive _could _work. I'm just hoping I didn't delve into clichéville (I tried not to use the obvious euphemisms) and that it's pornorrific enough for you voracious readers ;)

Sorry it's so short, by the way, but really it should be chapter 12, anyway.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The Thought in the Minds**

'Wait,' he said, slightly short of breath - but not from physical exertion. She'd just pulled off his shirt, throwing it aside, and he thought he'd better clarify things with her before he was way beyond caring.

Which he already almost was.

'What are we doing here, Bones? I want to... know where we both stand. Could you please just...' he paused, taking her by the hand so that she would stop stroking his leg with it.

_Talk about damn insatiable._

He'd forgotten his line of thought. Clearing his throat, he looked at her, hoping he'd said enough to get a straight answer.

She sat back, giving him the small amount of space he needed to keep his mind working at a relatively normal speed. She leaned over to turn the light on, so that they could look at each other better.

For awhile she just sat cross legged next to him, looking thoughtful.

'I don't know, Booth. I'm afraid I can't answer that question the way _you _want me too, and that if I don't, it will hurt you.' She frowned, before raising her head to look at him.

He was surprised, and reached forward to take her hand, looking her straight on.

'Temperance, don't ever tell me what you think I want to hear, or how you think I want you to feel. I'm an idiot for ever pressuring you in one direction or another, especially when I lo- want you, just the way you are. You're a difficult woman, Bones, but you're absolutely perfect to me. So please, be honest about who you are and what you want.'

She nodded, not noticing that he'd almost told her that he loved her, in some shape or form. He carefully considered her reaction, and was relieved to see a smile.

'I know what you want this to be - what you want us to be, Booth. And I don't know if I'm capable of all of that... but I do know what I want now, now that your absence has caused me so much grief over the past few months-'

He grimaced at the thought of her in pain over him. He had been a fool to even _try _with another woman, an absolute fool. Not only had he hurt himself and Hannah, he'd hurt the woman that he truly loved.

'I know that I want you, Seeley.'

He knew it was cheesy, something penned in two dollar romance novels from the grocery story. But he really did feel as though fireworks were going off, that violins were playing, and that everything was right in the world. He smiled at her, and she gave him her smile in return. He felt like the luckiest man alive, just like every other man who'd finally found – and actually _gotten _the woman of their dreams. He was well aware that she'd probably never agree with him about love or life, or God, or the Universe. But what they had, what they were _going _to have now - he couldn't have asked for more. Maybe she didn't see the relationship the way he did, he certainly doubted that she would imagine them growing old together, and perhaps only accept it once they _were_ grey and old. But it was all more than enough, more than anything he'd ever had in his life. Screw growing old together – he'd just take it one day at a time, and savour every moment.

She looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to say something. He kept smiling at her, and she wanted to know what he was thinking.

'What are you thinking about, Booth?' she asked, sitting back against the wall, crossing her arms.

He looked at her, a cheeky glint in his eye. He'd had enough serious discussion for the night, and was looking forward to that bursting dam that Sweets was always going on about.

'I was thinking about the reason I couldn't fall asleep.'

She raised an eyebrow, looking surprised at the change of topic, but intrigued all the same. 'Oh?' She asked.

'Mmm,' he said, nodding. 'It's because you're on my side of the bed.'

She couldn't help but laugh. 'What? No. This is my side of the bed. I always sleep on the left side of the bed.'

'I think you'll find, Bones, that I, too always sleep on the left side of the bed' he said, leaning down to kiss her arm, looking up at her.

'Don't think that your games-'she said, pushing his forehead away, 'will make me move.'

He grinned impishly, lowering his head to kiss her shoulder now. 'What games?' He asked innocently, catching her hand before she could push him away again. He interlocked his fingers with hers, before placing his hand on her leg. He rested his chin on her shoulder, running his fingertips over the underside of her leg, higher and higher, and then back down again to her ankle.

She couldn't help but laugh at his antics, despite the fact she felt incredibly turned on by them also. But she was just as stubborn as him, and nothing he did was going to make her move.

He didn't care about which side of the bed he was on, though it had been a fun way to lighten the atmosphere. He thought back to his fantasy from just the other afternoon, and relished the fact that he _could _run his hands over every part of this woman, kiss every part of her, and better yet, _listen _to those delicious noises she made while he was touching her.

Booth had never been with a woman so uninhibited, so responsive to his every touch and kiss. The wanton gasps she made in between kisses as he unbuttoned her cotton pyjama top were enough to drive any man crazy. It was all the more exhilarating that this was _his _Temperance, making those noises because of him, for him.

He sat back a moment, admiring the sight of her exposed body, savouring that look in her eyes that said so very clearly just how much she wanted him. She too relished the sight of him poring over her body, worshipping it in such a way that no other man ever had. Absolute exhilaration and excitement filled her, and she could barely contain herself from the onslaught of pleasure he elicited in her body. She'd always been such a _thinker _during sex – she loved sex, yes, but had always been almost scientific about it, working out the best way to increase her pleasure, what would best satisfy her. But with Booth, she didn't have to think. Everything was so natural, and so damn enjoyable.

Sitting up, she pulled the cotton shirt off and let it fall to the floor, kissing him passionately. He returned the kiss with equal gusto, and she pressed her body against him, wanting nothing more than to be as close to him as possible. It was her turn to run her hands over him; it was his turn to groan with pleasure. She'd never felt such pleasure at the sound of someone else's, and she was glad that he was as responsive to her touch as she was to his. She'd always felt as though she had the upper hand when it came to sexual relationships due to her superior knowledge of the body and sexual experience... but what Booth could do to her, and how he could make her feel just blew her away.

The darkness of lust in her eyes only mirrored his, and the heat that emanated from her body engulfed him as they removed the rest of their clothes, neither letting the other go in the process, always connected by a kiss or a touch. Their thoughts mirrored the others, as they had done for so long now –

_She's so beautiful._

_He's so amazing._

He nuzzled into her neck, kissing and sucking gently on the skin, eliciting more delightful noises from her that only propelled him further. Her hands were everywhere, firm against every part of his body except where he wanted – _needed _her hands to be, but she just kept teasing him, smiling at him lustily.

Finally breaking, he pinned her down, escaping her teasing hands and instead turning his own on her, tracing patterns over her breasts, her stomach, up and down her legs, all the while kissing her, loving the sound of her muffled moans against his mouth as he teased her, inching closer and closer to where he knew she wanted _him _to go.

But he couldn't deny her too long. There wasn't much he'd ever deny her, and when it gave him so much satisfaction, it was really an uphill battle from the start.

She moaned and writhed beneath him, and it was all he could do but to stop playing these games with her and _finally _give himself to her in his entirety. If this was how she reacted to foreplay... he couldn't wait to see how she would behave for the main event. She looked up at him, her eyes heavily lidded and barely focused. She reached out for him, pulling him into a kiss where he could almost taste her need, her absolute desire for him. She shifted under him, reaching out to guiding him towards her.

He gazed at her intently as they finally shared this moment, and when he was finally one with her, he had a moment of perfect clarity, of pure happiness.

_This is where I belong._

In that moment they shared themselves, their pleasure, and the exact same thought.

_This is where I belong._

* * *

Do you know what I realised when I was writing this story? How stupid a work 'uninhibited' is. It's like a double negative word, and it's annoying enough when someone uses a double negative (okay, so I'm a hypocrite. I do it all the time) because it's really confusing. But it should just be 'hibited', right? Just sayin'.

Hope they didn't wake up the children! ;) Reviews are always appreciated!


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry about the delayed update – new year's celebrations and what not have been had! Hope you all have had an excellent new year's eve and that the actual year is the best yet!

And I've finally caught up on the sixth season. How very, very uninspiring it is! Though I absolutely loved The Doctor in the Photo, but how heartbreaking was it? I kind of get the feeling (POSSIBLE SPOILER) it's a turning point in Brennan and Booth's relationship... and probably not for the better, at least from our point of view! Regardless, I'm looking forward to where they take the show from here on in. And if it's not to our tastes, there is always the happyland that is known as .

Hope you like the chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: The Evidence in the Room**

Again the sunlight woke her up, and she opened her eyes, a smile already on her face. Her mind drifted to memories of the night before, and a happy warmth filled her body, she felt so...

_Safe._

Turning to look at Booth, she smiled further at the fact that his sleeping position had not adjusted – he still slept spread out, with gentle snores escaping his mouth. She'd found that endearing about him yesterday, and today the sight of him made her feel a swell of emotion, exhilarating and almost aching at the same time. She sat up now, looking at him more closely, considering him with more of a scientific gaze.

Brennan was _trying _to be objective, so that she could figure out these feelings for him, sort them out in her own mind. She knew that Booth wanted to hear how she felt; he wanted her to be loquacious and explain to him what he meant to her. But the problem was she honestly didn't think she had the words, nor her own understanding to tell him.

Sighing somewhat, she lay back down beside him, and he began to stir. He woke up shortly afterwards, stretching slightly before grinning at her, almost as though he were checking she were still there and that last night hadn't been a figment of his imagination.

'Good Morning, Booth,' she said, smiling broadly.

'Morning, Bones,' he said, shifting over to kiss her on the forehead, before pulling her into a hug, his large arm around her torso, his nose nuzzling against her ear. Absentmindedly she drew circles in his arm, her mind already buzzing over their prospective relationship, what she thought he thought it might mean, and what she thought about those musings.

He grumbled gently in her ear. 'Gees, Bones, I can almost hear you thinking.'

She looked at him, surprised. 'Is it that obvious?' She asked, a slight frown on her face.

'No,' he said, not entirely convincingly. 'You just sometimes make these sighing noises when you're thinking hard about something. What're you thinking about?' He asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.

'Us,' she said quietly, and she could almost feel the change in him, a slight stiffening, almost as though he feared her thinking about them.

_Why does he do that? Doesn't he realise how happy I am to be with him, to have finally done the right thing when it comes to us?_

He looked at her closely, seeing the thoughts in her eyes, but he still couldn't read them.

'What about us?' He asked carefully, loosening his grip on her somewhat.

_Maybe I shouldn't be too clingy?_

'Nothing you need to worry about,' she said, moving to get out of bed. 'We should get up, Booth. The case still has to be solved.'

He nodded, shifting in the bed so that he was sitting, watching her as she milled about the room, grabbing her things for the day.

'Bones?' He asked, as she was about to step into the bathroom.

She stopped, turning to look at him.

Again, he wanted to tell her that he loved her. Instead, he got out of bed, and went over to her to give her a kiss.

_Saying it in words might scare her away. But there are plenty of ways to tell her that I love her..._

She smiled up at him, feeling inexplicably light. The words he needed to hear had popped into her head – yet still, she couldn't say them.

_I love you._

.-.-.-.-.-.

She went up to breakfast first, too find Sarah awake already, sipping coffee at the bench and eating breakfast with her daughters. She turned when she heard Brennan climb the stairs, looking curious.

Brennan was somewhat relieved that she and Booth hadn't woken up the family last night.

'How was your night, Temperance? Did you and Booth have fun?'

Brennan grinned, nodding. 'It was a very enjoyable night. Booth and I didn't end up going to the restaurant that Al suggested, so instead ended up at the night market – which was excellent.'

Sarah nodded, sipping her coffee. 'I'm glad. Did you notice the... little bit of decorating Al decided to do?' She asked with badly disguised curiosity.

Brennan joined her at the table, taking a piece of fruit from the bowl, nodding vaguely.

'It was very thoughtful of you. Booth and I appreciated the sentiment,' she said, taking a bite out of her apple.

The children looked up from their cereal, Josephine chewing carefully, Ella gulping her mouthful quickly.

'Are you married to Seeley yet, Bones?' Ella asked, grinning as she used Booth's nickname for her.

Brennan shook her head, smiling. 'No, I'm not married to Seeley yet. Why do you think I should be married to Booth, Ella?' She asked.

Josephine answered, after Ella had just taken a large bite of Coco-Pops.

'Daddy said that girls are only allowed to share rooms with boys they're married too,' she said quietly, before taking a bite of her cereal.

'That's a bit draconian of Al,' Brennan said, finishing off her apple.

'Daddy's a dragon?' Ella asked, grinning.

'No, draconian. Dra-coe-neean. It means –'

Booth had appeared in the doorway, and Ella lost her interest in the meaning of draconian.

'Seeley!' She said, running over to drag him to the table. 'Sit next to me!'

He looked at Sarah, grinning. He let herself be dragged over to the seat next to Ella, and sat down. Ella chatted away at him for a moment, until she noticed that her cartoon had started again, and sat silent, watching it again.

Booth was glad to see the kids hadn't seemed to upset by whatever Al and Sarah had told them last night. Josephine perhaps seemed a little more pensive than normal, but it was nothing particularly worrisome.

He leaned over the bench, taking Brennan's hand and squeezing it. The action seemed to clear up any curiosity in Sarah's mind, and she grinned at him as he winked at her.

'Thank you for the nudge last night, Sarah,' he said, grinning cheekily.

She smiled broadly, happy to see that Al's idea had worked.

'It was Al,' she said, smiling. 'Least we could do, really,' she added, before standing up to clear the breakfast plates away.

'Where is Al?' Brennan piped up, also standing to get herself some breakfast.

'Sleeping,' Sarah said, sounding almost relieved. 'He hasn't slept well in so long. He finally looks at peace when he sleeps,' she said, smiling as she passed Brennan two bowls.

Brennan smiled back, glad to hear that things were going better for her friend.

'Would you like some cereal, Booth?' She asked, setting the bowls down and pulling some Weet-Bix out of the cupboard. He'd been playing some sort of hand game with Ella, and stopped to look up at her, flashing her a grin.

'That'd be great, Bones.'

She set about getting them both some breakfast, before heading back over to the bench and handing him his bowl. Before she turned to sit down again, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quick kiss, thanking her.

Which didn't go unnoticed by the children.

Josephine looked quietly surprised, however, Ella gasped loudly, shocked.

'Hey! You just kissed her!' She said, turning to stare at them both.

'I did,' Booth admitted, smiling like an excited little boy.

'Why?' Ella asked, as though it were the oddest thing two people could possible opt to do.

'Because he loves her,' Josephine piped up, before going back to her cereal.

Booth said nothing, and neither did Brennan. Josephine was right, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

They parked Al's car outside the police headquarters, having borrowed it again. They paused in the car a moment, and Booth reached out for her hand, giving it a squeeze. She pleasantly surprised him by leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips, and he held her face in his hands, stroking her cheek. Eventually she pulled back, her eyes still closed, a look of bliss on her face. His hand still cupped her face, and he gently stroked her cheek, savouring the look on her face.

She opened her eyes, leaning back. 'Time to solve this case?' She asked, grabbing her bag.

Booth nodded, grinning. 'Too easy, partner.' He said, before getting out of the car.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Martin eyed off the partners as they walked into his office, noticing a subtle difference in their body language, though outwardly they showed little sign that anything had changed. A glance here, a smile there - nothing overt, but enough for Martin to notice.

_Well, that's sweet._

Martin picked up the report he'd worked on late into the night, passing it over to Booth and sitting on the side of his desk, the two partners standing before him.

'I followed up some of the leads you laid down for me Booth, and worked out a few possible places the couple might have been staying before they were murdered. And as you said yesterday, Booth – if we find where they were staying, we'll probably find the murder scene.'

Booth nodded, impressed at the man's progress, seemingly overnight. He read over the report, taking in all the new information that Fuller had found out. Booth considered the places that Martin had suggested, and felt that the deserted dorm rooms seemed like a good place to start. He remembered sneaking into the dorm rooms of his college girlfriends, and it had hardly been difficult then, he doubted it would be hard now. And what better place to stay than well furnished, deserted rooms over summer?

He passed the report over to Brennan, putting his hands on his hips.

'Check out the dorm rooms first?' He asked, looking at Martin. Martin nodded, watching Brennan read his report, pleased to see her look of surprised approval.

'It's a large building, but we should be able to find evidence by today,' Martin said, crossing his arms.

Brennan nodded, passing the report back to him. 'Very impressive work, Fuller,' she said, smiling.

Martin raised his eyes, surprised at the praise. 'Thanks, Dr Brennan.'

He stood up, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, and heading for the door.

'Nice office, by the way,' Booth said, scooting out after him.

Brennan considered it before leaving. She thought Booth's was nicer.

.-.-.-.-.

They followed Martin's car to the university campus, relatively quiet on the trip. Booth was thinking about the case, trying to figure out which floor they would have been likely to stay on. Martin's report had stated that the security camera's had only recently been fixed at the dorm rooms, so they would be no help. The dorm building was five storeys high, with fifteen rooms to a floor. He was used to the slow progress of some cases, but tried to think of ways to speed it up.

He ran his fingers through his hair, staring out the window. Brennan had insisted on driving, and he was happy to let her. For one, it seemed to make her happy, and as much as he liked driving... it just felt wrong driving on the wrong side of the road. He kept feeling like he was going to collide head first with another car. Brennan seemed to have no such problem.

He looked over at her – she was humming along to the radio quietly, again, nothing that Booth recognised. He sat back, letting his mind clear.

His mind drifted to thoughts of home – Parker, the team, what things would be like when he got back. He got the idea that Parker would be over the moon – he'd always loved Brennan, and she was already like an Aunty to him. He didn't even have to think about how happy their friends would be... he grinned at the thought.

She looked over to catch him grinning, and smiled herself. 'What's the joke?' She asked, turning off into the University. Booth opened his eyes, looking at her.

'Just thinking about what things will be like when we get home,' he said, smiling at her. 'How everyone will react,'

She turned the ignition off, also smiling. 'I've been thinking about that,' she said, pausing as they both got out of the car. 'And I imagine that they'll all be very pleased.'

Booth let out a laugh. 'Understatement of the year, Bones,' he said, as they joined Martin, who was discussing something with the very small forensic team that they'd been given. Booth looked at them, considering the numbers.

_This is going to take months!_

He raised his eyes at Brennan, his hands on his hips again, tugging at his tie. She didn't quite get the significance of his look, so just shrugged at him, before turning back to Martin.

'Time to start the search? She asked.

Martin nodded, and they headed towards the building.

.-.-.-.-.

They'd started a floor to floor search, and nothing had been found. Any trace evidence had been trampled over by hundreds of students over the past few months, and nothing in the rooms seemed particularly out of place. Bodily fluids were found in every other room, so there was hardly anything pinpointing were a murder could have taken place.

Booth sighed, frustrated. He went over to Brennan and Martin who were talking about other possible locations, but Booth didn't like the idea of leaving here. He just had a feeling that this was where they needed to be.

He took Brennan by the arm subtly, giving it a squeeze before letting her go, smiling at her.

'Shall we get some lunch?' He asked her, but also looked at Martin. She looked unsure, giving a passing glance to Martin. 'I feel as though we should focus our attentions here, Booth.'

Martin shook his head, passing her a large file of crime scene photos, looking as though he was glad to be rid of them.

'You can Booth should look over these. There might be something we've missed –'

Brennan shook her head, but took the file. 'If there is any evidence left, Fuller, it's going to be minute. We're not going to be able to see it in a photo.'

Booth took the large file from her, putting it in the crook of his arm.

'Still, it's worth a shot, Bones. And otherwise Martin would have to do it, and it's a pretty dull job...'

Martin grinned at him appreciatively, glad Booth had understood his actions.

'And at least you'll get a lunch break,' Martin added, as if to sweeten the deal.

Booth nodded, smiling, and took Brennan by the hand, pulling her away. Martin watched them walk away, hand in hand for a couple of seconds, before Booth let her hand go.

_At least I don't have to deal with public displays of affections._

_.-.-.-.-.-._

They grabbed a sandwich and coffee from a street vendor and sat outside in the sun. Booth handed half a pile of photos to Brennan, and kept half for himself, changing photos every couple of minutes. It didn't seem like they could find anything from the photos, and he felt a little despairing. If they didn't find the crime scene, they weren't going to solve this case. Talking to parents and friends could only get someone so far, and it wouldn't be far enough.

He took a sip of coffee, looking at Brennan, who was chewing thoughtfully on her sandwich, staring intently at a photo. He watched her frown at it for a couple of minutes before asking her about it.

'Found something, Bones?'

She shook her head, still frowning. 'No,' she said, uncertainly, before passing it to Booth. 'Something feels... wrong about the photo. About this room.'

'Feels?' He asked incredulously. That was hardly Brennan speak.

'I meant, looks. Something looks out of place. But I can't see what it is...'

He nodded, before looking over the photo, wondering what it might be that was out of place. It was just a standard dorm room, cupboard, bedside table, bed, lamp, desk, computer...

He reached over for her pile of photos, looking at the corresponding pictures of this room.

'Something does feel odd about this room, Bones,' He agreed, putting his sandwich down.

He passed back some of the photos of the room for her to look at, but kept the overall shot of the room.

He had a thought, and rummaged through his pile of photos for another overall shot of a room – any room, to compare the photos.

And suddenly, what was out of place became obvious.

He looked at Brennan, somewhat thrilled at his discovery. 'You said that the victims were killed on a bed?' He asked.

She nodded at him, looking at him over her cup of coffee.

He passed the two photos over to Brennan, pointing at the beds.

She nodded appreciatively, seeing what Booth saw.

'I think we've found our crime scene,' He said, scooping up the photos into the file, but leaving the two bedroom shots on top.

They both chugged down the last of their coffee, throwing away the cups and the rest of their sandwiches. She sidled up to him, putting her hand around his waist and kissing his shoulder before moving away again, heading towards the school.

'Wait a minute,' he said, and she turned to look at him.

'Yes?' She asked, looking curious.

'I haven't gotten to kiss you all day, Bones,' he said, grinning cheekily.

She hid her smile, but moved closer toward him, close enough for him to kiss her. He leaned down to kiss her gently on the mouth, but she pulled him into a more passionate embrace, before letting him go.

She smiled at the happiness that seemed to emanate from him, and also at that same happiness she felt within herself. She nudged him with her hip and the kept heading over towards the university, arms linked.

Booth looked at her, grinning. 'You know, it was staring us in the face all this time,' he said, leaning down to kiss her head.

'What was?' She asked, kissing his shoulder before letting go of him.

'The evidence,' he replied, shifting all the photos in his arm. 'What did you think I was talking about?'

She crossed her arms, and slowed her walk down somewhat. 'Us?' she asked, smiling gently at him.

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again.

'True. This has definitely been a long time coming,' he said, before kissing her again. She didn't protest.

It was a long walk back to the campus.

* * *

Don't worry, I'll tell you what Brennan and Booth saw evidence wise next chapter :)


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for the reviews, I am very grateful for them! This chapter is a little dull – I find writing specifically about the crime a bit difficult. I'm trying not to have pieces in the story and make it all come together... hope you guys find it alright, anyway :)

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Suspect in the Student**

Martin looked frazzled as he paced around the first floor of the dorm rooms, having just heard from the head forensic that they hadn't found any evidence as to which room would be a crime scene, and that it would be unfeasible to comb through every single one to the extent that would be needed to find anything.

When he saw Brennan and Booth approaching, he turned towards them, arms raised as if in defeat.

'We're not going to find anything here,' he said when he reached them, sighing. 'The forensics have started to move out.'

Booth was surprised at the speed in which they'd searched the floors.

'Tell them to check room 2C before they leave. Thoroughly. If they don't find anything in there, then I doubt we'll find anything here.'

Martin frowned, wondering what Booth had worked out that would give him such confidence. Regardless, he jogged over to the forensics, telling them what Booth had asked them to do, and grudgingly, they agreed. Martin headed back over to Booth and Brennan, both looking slightly smug.

'Okay, why is that room special?'

Booth handed Martin the photos, and it took him awhile to see what they'd seen, but they hadn't needed to explain.

'The beds,' he said, nodding. 'The mattresses. One is new, clean, where the other is old and... pretty mangy.' He looked at Brennan, grinning. 'And you said that the victims were murdered on a bed. The murderer must have replaced the mattress...'

He held his hand out, indicating for the pile of photos Booth was holding. Booth handed it to him, and Martin sifted through the photos, nodding.

'It looks like the newest mattress in here is ten years old, besides this one,' he said, holding up the picture of the room with the very new mattress.

He looked at the photo, muttering under his breath.

'It's obvious, but not really something that sets of alarm bells in your head... we would have missed this,' he said, looking at them both. 'I can see why you're regarded so highly.'

'Thank you,' they said in unison, before turning each other, grinning. Martin could tell that they wanted to kiss, and had to really refrain from rolling his eyes.

He cleared his throat, hiding his smile. 'Shall we use Dr Brennan's superior intellect to check out the room?'

They turned back to him, still grinning. Brennan nodded, smiling at Martin.

'That would be wise,' she said, before heading to the stairs, Martin and Booth in tow.

.-.-.-.-.-.

There were four forensics buzzing around the room, looking like they'd finally been validated. When they saw the three walk in, the lead forensic stopped, heading over with a couple of evidence bags.

'We've found traces of blood under the mattress, marks on the wooden head conducive with the stabbing, and –' he pointed at the catch on the door. 'Traces of blood on the catch. It may have been any student, but we figured that the killer might have nicked himself on it after he killed the couple, or somewhere in the process.'

Booth was ecstatic. This looked like the crime scene, and that there would be enough evidence here to convict the murderer – they'd just have to find whoever that might be. It wasn't going to be the easiest of tasks. Martin had talked to the parents and the closer friends of the couple, but little had been found.

He looked at Brennan who was talking to the forensic, pointing at the floor.

'If they were killed on the bed, why aren't their traces of blood? How would the murderer have gotten them out of the room?'

The forensic shrugged, swabbing the floor. There was no reaction.

Booth walked over to them, standing beside Brennan. 'You said that the murderer was likely to be a student – medical, anthropology, something along those lines, right? I'm sure they'd know enough about forensics to know not to... drag a bleeding body out of the building. They were probably wrapped up in some sheeting, or something.'

Brennan nodded, looking serious. 'True.'

Booth straightened out his tie, frowning. 'All this possible evidence is great, but we still don't know where to start with who might be the killer. I mean... there would be hundreds of the students fitting the category. We need something else.'

Brennan nodded, her forehead creased. She was trying to think of something, something she might have missed or considered unimportant.

'Everything I could discern from the remains is in my report. Obviously I'll look at the remains again, but I'm not sure how much information about the killer we can find out that hasn't already been discovered.'

Martin walked over to them, checking his watch. 'I'm going to get the details on who lived in this building, with a special focus on this floor who also studied the disciplines you mentioned. It's a long-shot, but I think it's one of the only starting points we've got.'

Booth agreed, nodding. 'We can interview the students together, while Bones looks over the remains again, and deals with all the scientific stuff, if you like.'

Martin nodded. 'Sounds good.' He pulled his phone of his pocket, ringing up someone – no doubt to get the information he required. He walked off, leaving Brennan and Booth standing in the room.

They looked at each other before Booth grabbed her hand, heading out the door of the crime scene.

'I hope this is going to be enough, Bones,' he said, leaning against a wall.

She smiled at him warmly, giving him a punch on the shoulder. 'Come on, Booth. We're doing great. The case should be a gust.'

He grinned at her mistake, and she looked at him, smiling back. 'Why are you smiling at me like that?' She asked, moving closer towards him. He grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him. She took the hint, and leaned against him, her body pressing against his. She kissed him, and he raked his fingers through her hair, his hand in the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She didn't mind, placing her hands around his waist, before running her fingers up and down his back. Booth moaned a little before pushing her away, looking slightly sheepish. She still remained wrapped up in him, and kissed his neck delicately, making him groan again.

'Bones!' He said, holding her back. 'You're really insatiable, aren't you?'

She grinned at him, kissing him again, but not as deeply. 'I find that I can't control myself as well as I should be able to around you,' she said, smiling sheepishly.

He pulled her into another kiss, smiling into her mouth.

'Me either,' he said as they broke apart.

The smiled at each other for a moment before Martin reappeared, and they slowly separated, straightening themselves out.

'Got the details,' he said, considering the way they were straightening their clothes and flattening their hair, and felt the urge to roll his eyes again. 'We're lucky. This dorm is predominantly engineering students – there are only five students that had the knowledge Dr Brennan thinks the killer needed. One of those students, Paul Wentworth, lives in the room that we think is the crime scene,' he said, sounding quite pleased.

Booth and Brennan looked at each other, and Booth had to resist the urge to give her a high-five. He turned back to Martin, grinning.

'This is a done deal,' he said, pulling his poker chip out of his pocket and flipping it. He squeezed Brennan's hand, before heading over to Martin. 'Bones'll check out the forensics, we'll question the kid, and this is all going to be solved by tonight!'

Brennan was pleased at the thought, but didn't think she'd jump to the same conclusion as Booth just yet. Martin, however, seemed happy at the thought.

'I'll drive,' he said to Booth, turning to leave. Booth looked back at Brennan, before patting his pockets, realising he had the keys to Al's car. He pulled them out and threw them over to Brennan, which she caught.

'See you back at the lab,' he said, winking.

She nodded, waving him off as he disappeared down the hall after Martin.

'Good luck!' She called out after them, before heading back into the room to check things over once more.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth and Martin climbed into Martin's beaten up Sedan, discussing the case and how they were going to question the boy. They wouldn't be able to bring him in just yet – not until the evidence had been processed, but Booth thought that what they had would be enough to get a warrant for the kids blood – especially if the kid had a visible bite mark scar on his body.

'It's that scar that's going to be the clincher,' Martin said, turning his stereo down so he could talk with Booth without having to talk over the music. 'I just hope it's visible. We'll be able to make the arrest there and then if we can actually see it.'

Booth nodded. 'I wonder what the kid's motive was? With so little information it's hard to really figure out...'

Martin considered for a moment what might have made a university student kill two people, but like Booth, came up dry due to the lack of information. He decided to change the topic.

'Are you enjoying your stay in Australia?' He asked Booth, looking across at him.

Booth grinned at Martin, unable to contain the extent of his enjoyment of his time in Australia.

'It's been absolutely amazing,' he said, still smiling broadly. 'New favourite destination.'

Martin laughed, turning onto a highway. 'You haven't really had the opportunity to see much of our country though, experience the sights,'

Booth shrugged, he didn't need all the touristy stuff when he had Brennan by his side. 'I don't really need to do all those things to have a good time,' he said, looking out the window at the view of Sydney. 'It is a beautiful city, though.'

'Best city in the world,' Martin agreed.

'So, why aren't you working with your usual partner?' Booth asked, turning back to face Martin.

'She's off on maternity leave,' he said, smiling. 'Gorgeous kid, too.'

'So you're just working solo until she comes back to work?' Booth asked.

'Something like that,' Martin said, taking another turn off.

Booth felt as though there was more to the story, but then he supposed, there always was. After all, everyone had their own stories. He hoped Martin's was a happy one.

'So, you and the Doctor,' Martin said, grinning at Booth. 'How longs that been going on?' He asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Booth didn't mind at all. He shrugged again, not really sure how to answer the question. 'As long as I can remember? But it's taken us this long to finally get our acts together,' he said, grinning.

'Well, good luck to you both...'

They'd just pulled up in front of a small house in one of the outer suburbs. It looked pretty average – clean, well kept. The men exited the car, walking up the small pathway to the house. Only the flyscreen door was shut, and classical music drifted outside it.

Martin rang the doorbell, pulling his badge out of his pocket, smoothing down his tie. Looking each at each other, they waited for someone to answer the door.

* * *

Wonder what this Paul Wentworth's story is? Until next time, eh :)


	16. Chapter 16

So, no Brennan and Booth interaction here, but hey, lots on the case. Hopefully next chapter will be a bit more Brennan & Booth friendly :)

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: The Flaw in the Motives**

A middle-aged man came up to the door, followed by a happy looking golden retriever, who yapped at the two men from behind the door. The man opened it, looking curiously at Booth and Martin.

'Hello?' He asked, looking at them as though he was trying to work out who they were. 'Can I help you?'

Martin pulled out his identification, showing it to the man, who immediately looked concerned.

'Sorry to bother you, Mr Wentworth. I'm Detective Inspector Martin, and this is Special Agent Seeley Booth. We were wondering if we could have a word with your son?' Martin asked, hands on hips, similar to Booth's pose. The dog immediately ran outside, jumping up and around Booth, looking for some attention. Booth patted the dog before turning his attention back to Mr Wentworth, who reached out to grab the dog and was holding him still against his leg.

'Why did you want to see my son?' He asked, heading back towards them and then along the small hallway. 'He's just on the back veranda, reading. Never has his head out of a book. He's not in trouble, is he?'

Booth wanted to say yes, but decided against it as Martin filled the man in on the information. Mr Wentworth nodded sombrely, putting his hands in his pockets.

'I remember hearing about the poor girl awhile back. Paul was distraught when he heard it on the news, she was top of the class – you know the type. You're saying she was killed in my Paul's _room_?' He asked, sounding somewhat shocked at the thought. 'That's terrible.'

Martin nodded, following the man out the door to see a rather skinny teen sitting on a wicker chair, thumbing through a text book and looking like he was a little confused by it. Booth wasn't surprised; the book probably weighed half of what the kid did, and from his experience, _those _sorts of books were damn near impossible to understand.

'Hey, Paul,' Mr Wentworth said, and Paul looked up, noticing the two men with his father. 'What's going on?' Paul asked, noting the serious air of the two strangers.

Booth peered at the boy carefully, trying to see if there were any obvious scars on him. There was none visible to him, but the evidence against this boy was still pretty damning.

'These men are just here to talk to you about the murder of those two students a couple of months ago?' Mr Wentworth said, looking at his son.

'We'd like to ask you a few questions about the murder of Justine Cooper and Brad Turner, Paul. We have reason to believe that they were murdered in your room, and we were just wondering if you knew anything about the murder.' Booth added, making it clear that this wasn't exactly a friendly visit.

'You think I did it?' Paul asked, standing up and looking disconcerted.

Booth nodded. 'We think that we've got a good case against you, kid, and that if you've done something then confessing now would be your wisest move,'

The boy looked shocked at the accusation, and stared at the two men. Booth considered the boy again, looking over every inch of his skin – not a scar. The kid was lily white and looked almost undernourished. While he was tall – probably about as tall as Al, he certainly wouldn't have had the same strength as him; and apparently, that was the size and weight of the murderer...

Booth hadn't noticed the thunderous look on Mr Wentworth's face, but Martin certainly had. It had never really been his technique to go at people in the same bull-at-a-gate manner as Booth, and now they were on the defensive, and probably about to get thrown out.

As if on cue, Mr Wentworth seemed to regain his ability to speak and spluttered out a few curse words under his breath. Booth finally looked up at him, to see two very angry eyes staring back at him.

'You dare come into my home and accuse my _son _of murder? Look at the kid! He can barely hold onto that book, let alone _kill _someone!' He thundered, glowering at the men.

'We're sorry sir, but we're just going where the evidence leads us,' Martin said, trying to appease the man so they could further question the boy before his father started calling for a lawyer. He shot Booth a slightly grudging look, but it went unnoticed. Booth was busy staring intently at the boy, who had started fiddling with his book on the coffee table, refusing to look at anyone.

'Well, your evidence is clearly wrong! Get the hell out of my house!'

Booth finally tore his eyes away from the boy, looking at the father. 'Mr Wentworth, it would be far better for your son if you let us talk to him now, before we get a warrant and have to arrest him officially. If he's innocent, as you say, then it would be the wisest course of action for him.'

What Booth had said had done little to appease the man.

'_I _know what is best for my son, you damn Yank. What on earth would you know about it?'

_A great deal more about the legal system than you, __**mate.**_

'I'm just trying to do the best for your family, Mr Wentworth.' Booth said evenly, looking over at Martin.

There was a quiet sound of Paul clearing his throat, and everyone's gaze turned towards him.

'Uhm, Dad? I think I'll talk to them now. I don't want to be arrested, that goes on your permanent record or something, doesn't it? I don't really want to have 'arrested for murder' next to my name. I didn't do it, so, like they said, nothing to fear, right?'

His father's colour returned to a slightly more healthy looking shade of red, but only slightly.

'Son, they're just trying to scare you. You don't have to talk to them,' he said quietly, as though he didn't want the two men hear.

'Well, it worked. I'm pretty scared. But I'll answer their questions, I'm sure they'll see eventually that it wasn't me,'

Mr Wentworth grunted, before storming down the stairs and disappearing into a shed across the patch of grass.

Paul looked at Booth and Martin apologetically, gesturing for them to enter the house.

'Sorry about him,' he said, leading them into a small sitting room. 'He's just over-protective. Wants the best for me, you know.'

Booth nodded. He supposed that if someone came and accused his son of murder, he would have most likely reacted even more violently than Mr Wentworth had.

The men all sat down, Booth and Martin on one couch, Paul looking nervously over at them both from another.

'So, you think I killed Justine and her boyfriend?' Paul asked quietly, wringing his hands. 'Why?'

'She was murdered in your dorm room, Paul, by someone with an astute knowledge of the human anatomy, who's about the same size as you,' Martin said, looking over the boy again and wondering if that last statement was actually true. The kid was as thin as a rake.

Paul nodded, looking worried. 'Well, that doesn't sound too good for me, I guess,' he said unsurely. 'I didn't do it, though. I didn't know Justine all that well – she was in one of my tutes, but I'm kind of shy I guess, I didn't make many friends. She seemed nice enough, really smart and all... why do you think I killed her? And her boyfriend? I don't even know his name...'

Booth looked at the boy, considered his body language, what he was saying. He sounded believable – and the kid just didn't strike him as a murderer. As his father had said, he could barely hold onto that huge textbook. He knew size wasn't always a factor when it came to murderers, but this kid had a certain delicateness about him that didn't really make you think 'murderer.'

_God, this is frustrating._

'We've got a few theories. Maybe you were jealous of her talents, her skills? Maybe you asked her out and she laughed at you, rejected you? Maybe it just pissed you off that she was sleeping with her boyfriend on your bed?' Booth posited, looking at the boy for reactions to his theories. He was somewhat surprised when the kid laughed.

Paul shook his head, looking at both the men in turn. 'That sounds like something from a TV show. People don't get murdered for those sorts of reasons in real life, do they?' He asked, looking incredulously at Booth.

Booth shrugged. Seemed like they did to him.

'I've seen people kill for less, Paul. It's not a laughing matter,' Martin said quietly, also looking somewhat surprised by the boy's reaction.

Paul immediately looked more serious, a little apologetic. 'Yeah, sorry, guess it's not. I just... this is a little surreal, you know?'

Booth nodded, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. Martin continued to talk to the boy, ask some routine questions while Booth checked his phone. It was a message from Brennan.

_No other evidence found in room 2C, samples are currently being analysed. After considering the remains again I have deduced that the murderer was left handed. Wish that Hodgins or one of the interns were here so they could devise an experiment to verify my conclusions, but I feel as though they are sound enough without further corroboration. Hope your interrogation is going well. Brennan._

Booth smiled at the message. She'd always been rather clinical with her texting.

'Hey, Paul, what hand do you write with?' Booth asked, interrupting Martin's question. Martin looked at Booth half annoyed, half curious, before looking at Paul again.

'I'm right handed,' Paul said, raising up his right hand. Booth nodded, checking the underside of it in case there was a bite mark.

There wasn't.

Booth turned to Martin, trying to give him a look conveying his opinion that he didn't think the kid had done it. Martin nodded, seeming to understand.

Sighing, Martin stood up, and Paul quickly stood up too.

'Is that bad? Are you going to arrest me now? Was the murderer right handed or something? I've gotta protest that, guys, I mean, a lot of people in the world-'

Booth shook his head, smiling at the kid. 'Relax. We're not going to arrest you. We're going to come back with a warrant for a DNA sample, but for now we can't do anything else.'

Paul nodded, looking immensely relieved.

'K,' he said, crossing his arms. The two men turned to leave, apologising for interrupting before heading towards the door. Paul looked out at them as they started to make their way down the pavement to Martin's car, before he called out to them.

'Hey, wait a sec,' he said, jogging out towards them. 'If I give you some DNA now, will that help you guys out?' He asked nervously, fidgeting with his fingers again.

Booth was surprised. 'Um, yeah, it would.' He said, stopping to look at the boy.

The boy nodded, smiling grimly. 'Well, okay, take some hair then,' he said, pulling out a couple of strands.

Martin pulled a small evidence bag from his pocket, holding it out to the boy who then put the strands into it, smiling nervously as he handed it back to Martin.

'I just don't want any marks against my name,' he said quietly, and Booth nodded.

Either this kid _was _innocent, or he was foolish.

Booth and Martin got in the car, sharing a look momentarily.

Neither thought the kid was foolish.

* * *

See, I told you that I'd use the left handed thing. Don't hate me :P


	17. Chapter 17

Booth and Brennan goodness, as promised. And to break up the casey-case tension.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: The Ice-Cream in the Park**

Brennan sipped her crappy cup of coffee from a Styrofoam cup, grimacing slightly as she gulped it down. Generally she wasn't as picky as Booth with her taste in coffee, but even she found this particular cup a little disgusting.

Sighing, she placed it down, looking into the distance. She was more than frustrated about her inability to find some sort of damning evidence for this case that would point Martin and Booth in one direction or the other. It seemed like this case was just dead end after dead end, and she hated the stumped feeling it gave her. Booth had called her after he and Martin had left the Wentworth's, saying what they'd found out, and it had done little to lighten her mood.

The lack of priority the case had was really getting on her nerves, also. At the Jeffersonian it certainly wouldn't take twenty four hours to process the evidence they'd found at the dorm room, but here she had to wait another eighteen hours before she could see if it was even pertinent to the case.

She saw Booth walking up the hallway with Martin, and found her mood improve drastically. Generally, his presence had always made her happy, but now there was something else there that made her feel... complete.

_That makes no sense._

She knew that it was a ridiculous notion, considering that there was nothing missing from her, physically or mentally. Yet, she couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

He grinned down the hall at her, his eyes twinkling. He raised his hand in greeting and she waved back, smiling. Thoughts of the case drifted out of her head, and memories of last night drifted back in. She'd been thinking about their night together a fair amount, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was clouding her judgement, scientifically. She'd often considered the thought that maybe her personal relationships _did _affect her ability to be an anthropologist, to be a scientist. She found the thought terrifying – what was she, if she wasn't a scientist?

But she couldn't help but think about the way she'd felt that night, the way she felt with him. Yes, she was a scientist. But for a few moments, she felt as though she could see herself through his eyes. And she saw who she was too him, and also that she could be so much more.

He kissed her on the cheek gently, bringing her out of her reverie.

'What're you thinking about, Bones?' He asked, stepping back and sitting down across from her. Martin was talking with someone down the hall, and looked fairly preoccupied.

'Last night,' she said, and Booth grinned at her. 'Oh?' He asked, leaning closer to her, taking one of her hands.

'I was thinking about what it meant to me,' she said, leaning back, but still holding onto his hand.

He looked surprised. She could tell that he had thought she was thinking about the physical side of things – which, by all means, were worth thinking about.

'I think you should know what it meant to me, Booth.' She said, and again, Booth was somewhat surprised by her seriousness. 'It meant... everything,' she said, almost shyly.

He supposed that it wasn't often she would speak so... emotionally, hence the timidness.

He smiled at her warmly, taking her hand. 'Thanks, Bones.' He said, kissing her hand quickly.

She smiled at him, still looking thoughtful.

'You know that you're absolutely precious to me, don't you?' Booth asked, looking at her intently. He wanted to make sure that she too knew how he felt... but not in such a way that she'd be scared away.

She nodded, looking pleased at his words.

He let go of her hand, picking up her coffee and stealing a sip, and instantly regretted it.

'That's bloody disgusting,' Booth spat, after painstakingly swallowing down the mouthful.

Brennan laughed. 'Bloody?' She repeated, grinning at him. 'Picking up the local slang, I see.'

He shook his head, still grimacing slightly. 'Yeah, it didn't really sound right, did it,' he said, smiling crookedly.

Martin appeared next to them, and Booth could see by the amused look on his face that he'd heard Booth's attempt at Aussie speak.

'Well, at least it wasn't "crikey"', Martin said, placing his phone down on the table.

Booth looked up, grinning.

_People actually say that here?_

Martin had already gotten down to business, and Brennan was nodding along with him, looking serious again.

'...you guys may as well go home. We're not going to get any further information until late tomorrow. I'll give you access to some documents that have been gathered on Paul Wentworth, but other than that, I think we'll have to start from scratch tomorrow morning.'

Booth nodded, not looking forward to an evening poring over countless documents that would most likely lead no-where.

'Sounds good,' he said, regardless. At least he'd be with Brennan.

They stood up, following Martin to his office to get the documents they needed, before heading outside into the sun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth glanced threw the documents into the back seat of the car, before turning to face Brennan.

'Let's do something fun, Bones. Even if it's just for the afternoon.'

She looked unsure, frowning slightly. 'I think it would be wiser for us to try and solve this case, Booth. It's what we're here for, after all.'

He gave her his puppy dog eyes, before reaching out for her hand.

'Oh, come on Bones. All work and no play make Johnny a dull boy,' he said, grinning.

She stared at him for a moment, somewhat incredulously. 'That means nothing to me.'

He rolled his eyes. 'Okay, let's just go...' he looked around, seeing a sign for a park. He gestured to it, grinning like an excited kid. 'Come on, let's just go to the park for a little while. We can just... you know, enjoy spending some time together. You said yourself we should do more of that,' he said, hopefully.

She looked at him, considering how eager he seemed, and gave in.

'Alright. But not for too long,' she added, letting herself be pulled across the road by him.

.-.-.-.-.

The park was just a short distance away, and it was huge. Plenty of people were around, children flying kites, families having picnics, couples strolling around the huge grounds. The day was bright, and Booth felt it easy to leave behind the frustrating case – especially when he was hand in hand with the woman he loved.

She was less easily distracted, her mind still buzzing over possibilities and things she might have missed. But soon enough she too had pushed thoughts of the case to the back of her mind, and she enjoyed the afternoon sun with Booth.

'So, do you have some amazing knowledge about Parramatta Park that you think I'd find interesting?' He asked as they walked down the pathway, taking in the scenery.

She shook her head, hiding her smile. 'I don't know everything about everything, Booth,' she said, looking up at him. He grinned back at her, shrugging.

'You seem too,' he said, squeezing her hand before letting it go.

She looked into the distance, and saw an information plaque in front of a memorial statue, and she pointed too it.

'Well, there is always opportunity to learn,' she said, heading towards it.

He groaned slightly – he hadn't meant to get pulled into an activity that enjoyed more reading than was strictly necessary.

Down the pathway he spied an ice-cream vendor, and tried to attract Brennan's attention away from the plaque.

'Come on, Bones, let's get some ice-cream. That'll be better than reading about some Lady Fitz-her-face,'

She laughed, rolling her eyes. 'Fitz_gerald. _Why do you always do that, Booth? You're perfectly capable of pronouncing half these words that you insist on mispronouncing.'

He shrugged, grinning at her cheekily. 'Well, I know you like to correct me. Plus, it makes you smile,' he said.

She grinned, shaking her head at him. 'You know, there are plenty of things that I already correct you on, without the added mispronunciations of words,'

Now he rolled his eyes.

'You're unbelievable, Bones.'

She smiled smugly. 'I know,' she said, taking his hand.

He considered continuing the light-hearted argument, but thought better of it. So often their half hearted arguments had turned into full heated ones and he didn't really feel like being annoyed by her, or getting on her nerves. Plus, they'd just come face to face with the ice-cream vendor.

'Hello,' the young man said in a friendly voice. 'What can I get you and your lady?' He asked.

Brennan crossed her arms, considering the choices, before turning to Booth.

'You know, I prefer beer,' she said, grinning slightly.

'You don't like ice-cream?' Booth asked, surprised.

_Everyone likes ice-cream!_

'No, I do like ice-cream. I just like beer better,' she added, as though that were an important factor in choosing ice-cream.

'Don't we all,' said the young man, smiling at Brennan. 'But I swear, this ice-cream is delicious. Family recipe. Doesn't get better than that, right?'

She shrugged, again looking at the choices.

'Okay, I'll have a scoop of chocolate then.' She watched him scoop it, and even she had to admit that it looked delicious.

The man handed the ice-cream to Brennan, before turning to Booth.

'And what will you have, sir?'

'Vanilla and strawberry, please,' he said, waiting for his cone before handing the kid some money.

Brennan and Booth started walking further down the path, and Booth couldn't help but notice Brennan stopping to give him furtive looks in between licking her ice-cream cone.

'Do I have ice-cream on my nose or something?' He asked, carefully wiping at the tip of his nose.

She laughed. 'No... it's just that...' she paused, looking somewhat amused. 'Well, it doesn't seem very Boothy to be eating strawberry ice-cream, is all. I mean... the _colour_.'

He licked his ice-cream, noting that the rich pink colour was probably less the emasculating, but he didn't care – strawberry was his favourite flavour, after all.

'Oh, so miss "it's good to bend societal constructs and be a maverick" thinks it's a little much that I like strawberry ice-cream?' He asked, taking a somewhat defiant lick of his cone.

She had to laugh. Now he _did_ have ice-cream on the end of his nose.

'No...' she said, reaching out to wipe the ice-cream off his nose. 'It's just very cute, I suppose,'

'Cute?' he asked, surprised. 'I'm so not cute, Bones.'

She grinned. 'Well, I think you are. In fact, you're like a little boy sometimes. Perfectly adorable,' she said, somewhat mischievously.

He took another lick of his ice-cream, being more careful of his nose this time.

'You think I'm cute,' he said, wanting to verify this new piece of information.

'Certainly. Very endearing,' she added, as if to clarify a point.

'I think a better word would be... charming, or handsome, or... manly,' he said, looking at her.

'Oh, you're all those things, Booth. But you're cute, too,'

He looked at her a moment, feeling one of those swells of emotion for her that for years he'd had to hide away. What she was saying was so... unBrennan like, yet, the way she said them was just so true to form. He pulled her into a kiss, softly at first, before it became filled with a certain amount of intensity, passion.

She was engulfed in all that was Booth – his scent, his firm embrace, his taste. The flavour of strawberry ice-cream teased her lips, and grinning, she concluded that strawberry was, after all, a very Boothy thing.

* * *

Please review! :)


	18. Chapter 18

So, I don't know how much stamina a forty year old (Booth is forty, right?) person has, but I hope that I've written his someone realistically. If not... it's TV Land, after all, and he seemed to be at it with Hannah at all hours of the day and this is his Bones, and there's got to be no aphrodisiac like her (for him, anyway)!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: The Who in the File**

The evening had passed by quietly – well, relatively quietly, if you discount Ella's non-stop talk. Booth had kept the girls entertained with stories and games, while Brennan, Al and Sarah had had quiet conversation over coffee. Now that the girls had gone to sleep, Booth joined Brennan on the couch, putting his arm around her.

Al grinned broadly. 'So, Temperance finally let someone into her heart, hey Booth?'

Booth looked at Brennan, smiling. He supposed that was a good way of putting it.

'It's physically impossible to let someone into their heart, Al.' Brennan said, before Booth could say anything.

There was a collective rolling of eyes.

'How's the case going?' Sarah asked, before adding, 'If we're allowed to ask that, that is?'

Booth smiled. They probably should go in to detail, considering that Al had been the prime suspect for so long.

'It's going... less than well at the moment. We're at dead end after dead end.'

Al smiled sympathetically. 'Well, you guys always catch the bad guy, right? You'll work it out in the end,'

Booth hoped so. He knew there was a first for everything, but he hated to admit defeat, and he wasn't about to do it here.

'Well, statistically, there is bound to be a case that we will eventually be unable to solve. It's actually anomalous that so far we haven't failed to solve a case.' She said, looking somewhat smug.

Booth shook his head. 'Don't jinx us, Bones!'

She rolled her eyes. 'You and your superstitions,'

Sarah and Al, again, looked rather amused by their antics.

'I can't believe you guys are still like this. I thought all the bickering was a release for sexual tension, or something,' Al said, grinning.

'That's an interesting theory, Al. Even if it's basis is in psychology. Maybe we just haven't been having sex long enough to have decreased the need for bickering yet?' She posited.

Booth coughed, giving Brennan a pointed look. She gave him a look back as if to say 'Whaaat?'

Booth was glad that Sarah and Al hadn't seemed to mind, instead just laughed quietly, before getting up as though Brennan's mention of sex had been a signal for them to leave.

'Good night, Seeley, Temperance,' Sarah said, smiling at them both as she left the room. Al just rolled his eyes before leaving.

As soon as they had left, Brennan drew in closer to Booth, smiling at him cheekily.

'Sorry Booth. I know you don't like discussing your sex life,' she said, leaning against him.

'Ours, Bones. Our sex life,' He corrected, grinning at the way it sounded despite his vague feelings of annoyance.

_Ours._

'Yes, I suppose it is,' she said, interlocking her fingers with his, and planting a gentle kiss on his lips. He was struck by her tenderness, the delicate emotion behind her every move.

'You're beautiful, Temperance,' he said, smiling at her.

He'd expected her to say, 'I know,' or something along those lines, but instead, she just smiled.

They sat in silence for a moment, just sharing themselves with the other, before Temperance made the move to go downstairs.

'We should probably look over the files, you know. We need to have at least read them by tomorrow, don't you think?'

Booth knew she was right, but was hardly excited by the idea.

He gave her his puppy dog eyes and pulled her back down after she'd stood up, so that she was sitting in his lap. She laughed at him, rolling her eyes, attempting to get back up, but he had a firm grip around her.

'You know I can kick your arse, Booth,' she said, looking at him with a smile in her eyes.

'Doubtful,' he said, kissing her shoulder gently, before moving to her collarbone, and then her neck.

'Booth, we've got work to do,' she said, though she didn't sound too persuasive, due to the tiny, happy murmurs she kept making.

'Well you know how we haven't eased all this sexual tension yet?' He asked teasingly, running his hand up her exposed legs, before resting at the hem of her skirt.

'Yes?' she asked, almost grumpily, now that he'd gotten her all hot and bothered.

'We'll work much better if we satisfy it, just a little, don't you think?' he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

She stared at him for a moment, not sure if she wanted to be stubborn with him and make him work just that little bit harder to convince her. But when his hand continued its path up her leg, she decided she didn't need any more convincing, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth couldn't say that he was entirely surprised that she wasn't huge on snuggling. Sure, she'd cuddled up to him for a couple of minutes and basked in the after-sex glow, but before long she had put on his shirt and began leafing through the files that Martin had given them.

He sat and watched her for a moment, completely in love with the woman regardless of her overt lack of sentimentality. She amazed him with her warmth and her passion one moment, and awed him with her sense of commitment the next.

He smiled lazily as he sat back, feeling completely relaxed. Even with the case looming over their heads, it wasn't going to kill his mood.

Untangling himself from the sheets, he leaned over the side of the bed to grab his jocks, before turning to her.

'I'm surprised you're awake, Booth. You've got very good stamina, despite your-'

'I'm going to stop you there, Bones, before you call me old,' he said, kissing her on the neck before reaching over for the pile of papers that she wasn't looking at.

'I haven't found anything significant,' she said, turning another page. 'All this information seems to be just family history, there's nothing evidentiary about it.'

'It doesn't have to be evidentiary, Bones. We've got to figure out motive, and maybe an indication of a motive is in the family history. What have you found out so far about Paul?'

'Well, he's an average student from a medium income home. His mother died two years ago –'

'Well that could always screw up a kid...'

'And his father had a nervous breakdown,' she added, passing him the file.

'So... history of mental illness in the family, as well as some pretty traumatic events for the kid to deal with?' Booth clarified, reading over the information.

'His mother was a Doctor, too. Probably some pressure there to succeed intellectually.'

'She was a Doctor?' He repeated, looking over the very limited files on the boy's parents.

His mother had been attacked at the hospital she was working at by a patient, and the boy's father had witnessed the attack.

_Why was the father there?_

Booth started reading the man's file, and within a moment the reason became very clear.

The father was a nurse.

'Would you say that a nurse would have a good enough knowledge of the human body to have attacked the two victims in the way that you described?'

She nodded, a look of realisation on her face. 'More than enough knowledge,' she added, looking at Booth.

'But why?'

Booth shrugged. He really had no idea.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Booth had rung Martin, who said he'd make some calls in the morning to try and hurry through the DNA results. They'd be able to compare the results with Paul's DNA – if there were some identical markers in the pattern, then the case against Eric Wentworth would be set.

Booth placed the phone down on the bedside table, laying back, his hands behind his head.

Brennan remained sitting, a slight frown on his face.

'Why the frown, Bones? The case is in the bag,' Booth said.

She lay down next to him, resting her head on his chest.

'Just trying to figure out why,' she murmured, placing her arm around his waist and pulling him towards her.

He smiled. 'That's not really your thing though, is it?'

He felt her shrug, before she sat up to look him in the eye.

'People change,' she said, before giving him a kiss and trailing her hand down his body.

Grinning, he kissed her back.

_They certainly do._

* * *

So, I spell 'arse' and 'Mum' like an Australian... because I am an Australian and if feels wrong to write it any other way! Sorry if it pulls you out of the story or whatever but... it's the way it is.

Hope you liked the chapter :)


	19. Chapter 19

So you might think they're having sex waaay too much. I personally think they're being restrained :P They'd totally be at it like bunnies, right? Sorry if the story is starting to feel a bit rushed - I'm trying to keep the pace the same, but I really have to get it finished, cos I'm off camping in the next couple of days and then soon after that I'm off volunteering in Thailand and will be gone a month... and then when I get back I'm straight back into Uni (yaaay). So yeah - excuse the hurry, if you think it feels hurried!

* * *

**Chapter 19: The Solution in the Story**

They were woken the next morning by Booth's buzzing phone. Martin had just received the results, and as expected, the DNA wasn't a match – but there were many similar indicators.

Booth hung up, kissing Brennan on the cheek and grinning.

'We did it,' he said, feeling happy that they'd found the guy. He'd have to wait until he could question the man to be able to work out exactly _why _he did it, but he was sure they'd be able to relatively easily. Generally once people were locked in an interrogation room with piles of evidence stacking against them, they tended to fold.

'Martin is going to go and arrest the man, but he said too get to the police station by 7.30. It's just gone 6 now, so we should have time for a shower, and a bit of breakfast...'

Brennan smiled, jumping out of bed and heading towards the shower, leaving Booth sitting on the bed. However, once she reached the door to the bathroom, she turned to look at him, smiling coyly.

_Logically, if we shower together, it'll take less time._

'Hey, Booth?' She asked, biting her lip. 'I had this fantasy the other day, about you in the shower...' she trailed off, watching as Booth grinned, getting out of the bed and following her into the bathroom.

'And you wanted me to make it come true?' He said, grinning as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

.-.-.-.-.

They left the house quietly – no one else was up yet. They travelled quickly to the HQ, due to a lack of traffic. Booth didn't think he's seen the roads this quiet.

'Since this is probably the last day we'll probably need to work on this case, Booth... when did you want to go home?' Brennan asked, as she turned into the car park.

Booth shrugged. He wasn't really sure – though they'd only been here a few days, it was Christmastime – and he loved being home at Christmas. Yes, the summer sun was nice but... there was nothing like sitting down next to a nice warm, toasty fire, sharing an eggnog with the person you love...

But he felt an almost equal desire to stay. Here, he had Brennan all to himself, and no one to intrude or analyse on what they had going. He could almost hear the advice Angela and Cam would give, and he just _knew _that Sweet's would practically wet himself with excitement: both as a friend and a psychologist . Sure, they'd all be happy for them both, but maybe all the attention would freak Brennan out? He wanted things to stay like this, like they were here. Calm, safe, and so damn amazing.

'I dunno, Bones. I guess I should get back to Washington for Parker... and I guess you've got commitments at the Jeffersonian?'

She shifted her bag onto her other shoulder before looking at him, as though she was trying to work out what _he _wanted.

'I took as much time off as the FBI gave you, so no, I currently have no commitments at the Jeffersonian,' she said.

'Do _you _want to go back?' He asked, now mirroring her look.

She thought for a moment, trying to work out what she wanted. Usually she would have been pretty clear on these sorts of things – it really was a straightforward question. She knew _why _she was confused; she didn't want Booth to have to go back before he wanted, this was a holiday of sorts for him, after all. She knew this was apparently a normal part of relationships – thinking about the other, before yourself. She'd never really had that before, though – she'd always done and said what she wanted in a relationship. Now, she felt that her happiness was wrapped up in _his, _so for her to know what _she _wanted, she had too know what he wanted...

_This is ridiculous._

'Let's ring up Cam or Angela. See if they have any knew cases, and if they need us back, we'll go back. Otherwise, we could stay for a couple more days, so you're back with plenty of time for Christmas, but then we could also enjoy a couple of days here in Australia. Do you have any objections?' She asked, looking at him closely.

He grinned at her, amused at her formality. 'You're adorable, Bones.'

'I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted, Booth,' she said, but he could tell by her smile that she didn't mind.

He took her hand, and they entered the building.

.-.-.-.-.

They stood outside the interrogation room with Martin, reading over some of the notes he'd prepared and discussing what they were going to ask Eric Wentworth. There wasn't much too it – they already had enough to convict the man. But a confession would really seal the deal.

The three entered the room, and Eric defiantly refused to look at anyone, his jaw set. He had his lawyer with him, a young looking man who appeared relatively nervous. Martin and Brennan sat down, Booth opting to stand behind Brennan, watching the man.

Martin passed over the pile of evidence that was against Eric, spreading it out in front of him. Eric didn't look at it, continuing to glare at the three people standing in front of him. The lawyer, however, looked over the information, and looked even more nervous.

'Your blood was found on the catch of your son's dorm room door,' he said, pointing at the scientific data that outlined this fact.

'Means nothing,' Eric spat, glaring at Martin. 'Skin got caught when I was helping Paul move in.'

Martin nodded, before pointing to another piece of paper. 'Credit card records show that you bought a new mattress – the brand and make as the mattress which was used to replace your sons. The mattress was bought two days before Justine and Brad were reported missing.'

Eric remained silent, it looked as though he were chewing on his son.

'Do you have any excuse for that?' Booth asked, looking at the man. Eric turned his eyes towards Booth, his steely glare now fixed on him, but he made no gesture or sound.

'You don't have to say anything,' the young lawyer said, and Martin continued.

'We searched your kitchen and found a set of knives, with one missing.' He gestured to a knife in an evidence bag, before placing it in front of Eric, who pointedly didn't look at it. 'This is the same sort of knife that you have missing from your set. It matches the stab wounds that the two victims sustained.'

'That knife has been missing for years,' Eric said quietly, looking down.

Martin ignored him, now pulling out photos from beneath the pile of papers.

'You have a scar on the palm of your right hand which resembles the shape of a human jaw,' Martin concluded, sitting back to look at Eric.

'Jerry gave that to me,' Eric said, though Booth could see by now that his excuses were weak. Maybe if only one of these pieces of evidence were against him. But four?

'Who's Jerry?' Brennan whispered at Booth, looking up at him, slightly confused.

'His dog,' He replied quickly, before turning his attention back to Eric.

'Look, Eric. There's no point in telling us that you didn't do it. We know you did it. We can convict you without a confession, without motive even. The case is in the bag. But it will look good if you confess, combined with your history of mental illness and the story about your wife. Tell us what happened,' Booth said, staring at the man.

Eric looked away, frowning; however, his lawyer looked thoughtful.

'I have to agree with then, Mr Wentworth. Things are not looking good for you. The best option for you right now is to confess,' he said quietly, though everyone in the room heard.

Eric turned to stare at his lawyer, as though he'd been betrayed, before sniffing, and turning his gaze back upon the three in front of him.

'I'm not saying a word.'

.-.-.-.-.

The three left the interrogation room after trying to work further information out of Eric, but the man refused to speak. The lawyer had eventually told them all too leave – that he'd try and speak some sense into the man.

They now all sat inside the canteen, drinking the disgusting cups of coffee that had offended Booth so much yesterday.

'I'm trying work it out, why he would have done it. His Doctor had said he was making good progress, getting his anger under control-'

'Why would he have had a kitchen knife with him at his son's dorm room?' Brennan interrupted, placing her cup down with a frown.

Booth was slightly annoyed by the interruption, but she had a good point. Martin just shrugged, gulping down the coffee – which, apparently, he had no aversion too; but Booth instead picked up Eric's credit card report, looking over the information.

He'd noticed something there before that had seemed out of place – all Eric had been using his credit card for prior to the mattress and this one other buy were normal household things like the groceries. But here, he'd bought a couple of pieces of artwork of eBay...

'Hey, Bones, you've got all this artwork at your apartment. Do you ever buy them online? Or get them sent to you in the post?'

Her forehead creased, wondering where his line of thought had led him.

'I have bought the occasional piece of art online...' she said, looking at him curiously.

'Okay, do they come wrapped up? Like in cardboard boxes, or something?' He asked, placing the paper down.

'Yes, they do tend to-'

'How do you open them?'

'Usually I just grab a kitchen knife...' she caught on.

So had Martin.

'The father bought his son some artwork for some reason or another, and he went into the kid's dorm room to set it up for him so it'd surprise him when he came back. So he took the kitchen knife with him, to open up the paintings when he got there...'

'And when he saw the two youths in his son's bed, he snapped?' Bones asked, looking slightly confused.

'As good a reason as any other, I suppose,' Booth said, somewhat darkly.

'Shall we go and tell the murderer we've worked him out?' Brennan asked, smiling at the two men.

They nodded, and the three of them stood up, leaving three lonely Styrofoam cups behind them.

.-.-.-.-.

'You wanted to surprise your son with some beautiful paintings,' Booth said, indicating to the purchases on the credit card report. 'But when you got to his room, you found that there were some other kids in your son's bed, freeloading of your hard-earned money, and it pissed you off. So you killed them.'

Eric looked shocked.

'How did you-'

'Know? Well, I'm good, Mr Wentworth. And so is my team here. We're very good.'

'It didn't happen like that,' he said, quietly. He didn't look so angry now – more dejected, and drained.

'How did it happen then?' Martin asked quietly, empathetically. Booth had to hand it to him. This guy was _nice._

'You're right about the paintings. I wanted to thank my son for all his... support. His strength over these past few years. He was always going on about this artist, this woman from Melbourne. He talked more about her art than he did anything else...' he said, looking down again.

'I just wanted to thank him for being a good boy.'

The room was silent for a moment, and Booth wondered if that was his confession. He'd killed the Justine and Brad out of some misguided attempt to thank his son?

But then he spoke again.

'I kept seeing my wife after she died, you know? She'd talk to me, she'd help me. But then... I saw her there. I saw her in his room. With another man,' he spat out, his anger flaring up again.

'I lost it, like you said. But not for the reason that you said! I thought she wasn't real. I thought it was my mind, playing tricks on me again, making me into the man my son feared, hated. I just...'

'You wanted to destroy the image,' Booth said.

He mentally compared the image of Justine Cooper and the picture of Therese Wentworth that had been in Paul's file. He supposed there were similarities – he also supposed that those similarities would be enough for a man who was already suffering from a mental disease.

Eric nodded, his head down turned. 'Then there was so much blood. And then I knew it was real.'

* * *

So there you have it! Just so you know, I don't meant to further the taboo there is on mental illness or anything like that, and if the conclusion of the case (not the story, JUST yet – one or two more chapters to go), offended you, I'm very sorry!

Hope you liked the solution of the case, anyway :)


	20. Chapter 20

So, a final author's note – I realise that the title of the story maybe doesn't make the most sense. It's about the blood on the catch, but most of all it's an allusion to the safety that both of them feel in the other – amongst other things – and I think they're both a 'catch'. :P

Hope you enjoy the last chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: The Love in the Hearts**

'Martin, my initial assessment of you was incorrect and I am sorry. You have proved very helpful in this case, and I am grateful for the help you provided me,' Brennan said, extending her hand to shake Martin's. Smiling, he shook it.

'It's been an honour working with you, Dr Brennan. You have certainly lived up to your reputation,'

He let her hand go, and turned to Booth. Booth grinned at him, also extending his hand.

'Thanks for the help, Agent Booth. It's been educational. Learning about the American way of doing things, and all that.'

Booth nodded appreciatively. 'And it's been interesting seeing how you Aussie's do things, too,'

Martin hid his smile, shaking his head at another of Booth's attempt to integrate Australian speak into his language.

'When are you guys heading back? Going to go and see the sights, explore this fine land of ours?'

'That depends on whether our team needs us back at home,' Brennan said, ducking into the conversation.

Martin nodded, crossing his arms. 'Well, I wish all the best for you both – in all areas of your life.' He grinned, before turning to go.

'Are you going to take some time off now, Martin?' Booth called out, wondering about the man's holiday season.

Martin turned to them, grinning. 'Well, I've just started paternity leave,' he said, winking at Booth before disappearing down the hallway.

Booth grinned, putting his hand around Brennan's waist before exiting the building.

_Looks like it was a happy story._

.-.-.-.-.

'I should probably ring Angela,' Brennan said, as they leisurely walked down the street, hand in hand. Booth was surprised by how tactile she was letting him be, but he was glad.

'We couldn't just enjoy the afternoon?' He asked, turning to look at her somewhat pleadingly.

Brennan paused a moment, as though she were considering his answer. 'I think that I would enjoy the afternoon more knowing if we were needed back in DC, or not.'

He shrugged. He supposed that made sense, and not in one of her annoyingly over-rational kind of ways.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, pressing the speed dial, and placing the phone to her ear.

'Do you think we should tell her about us now, Booth?' She asked, looking at him tentatively.

He wasn't sure. It wasn't something he really wanted to have their friends find out so impersonally over the phone. Too him, it felt like something that should be celebrated with fireworks and a parade. But he also felt private about it, like maybe he wanted to keep it to himself.

_What's ours is ours._

She was considering his thoughtful look and she knew what he wanted, and found that it was what she wanted, too.

'We'll tell them when we see them. I think that would be the wisest choice.'

She waited for his reaction, and knew she'd made the right decision by the way he smiled and leaned down to peck her cheek.

Smiling, she pressed the call button, and waited for Angela to pick up.

It didn't take long for her to pick up; beside the different time zone or the fact it was an international call.

'Angela? It's Brennan.'

They continued to walk down the street, and Booth could almost imagine Angela's replies.

_Sweetie! I'm so glad you called!_

'Oh, really? Why?'

_Because I'm glad to hear from you, Bren. My best friend?_

'Well I suppose that's understandable. How are things with you?'

There was a short reply, and Booth had stopped paying as much attention. Until he heard her sigh, and look up at him apologetically.

Looks like they were going back home.

.-.-.-.-.

She hung up the phone, before squeezing his hand.

'I'm sorry, Booth,' she said, sounding rather saddened. 'I know you didn't want to go home yet. But we're the lynchpins, and... you know how things don't really function quite so well without us around to hold it all together,' she said, turning to look at him.

He smiled at her reassuringly. He didn't mind going back home, not really. They had the entire world to travel, to explore Australia – and any other country they picked.

'As long as I'm with you, Bones, I'll be happy.'

She smiled at him broadly, before pulling him into a kiss.

.-.-.-.-.

'You're going back to _America?_' Ella asked, pouncing onto Booth's lap, staring up at her with her big blue eyes.

'Yes,' he said, yet again. The little girl seemed to be unable to grasp the concept that he and Brennan were leaving.

'But you just _got _here,' she said, crossing her arms and pouting.

Al and Sarah walked into the room, smiling apologetically at Booth.

'Come on, Ella, they've got family and friends at home they have to go back too,' Al said, sitting down and pulling Josephine into his lap.

Ella looked somewhat hurt, before turning to peer directly into Booth's eyes.

'Aren't I your friend?' She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Booth grinned at her, vaguely amused by her dramatics.

'Of course I am, Ella. But I have to go back home to my little boy,' he said, watching her as she clambered out of his lap, plopping herself down in between Booth and Brennan.

'Fine,' she said, crossing her arms again. 'But why does Temp-rance have to go home?' She said, now looking hopefully up at Brennan.

Josephine piped up, sounding slightly frustrated.

'I already _told _you, Ella. Because they _love _each other. And when you love someone you don't leave them behind.'

Booth smiled fondly over at Josephine. She was a wise little kid.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The girls had gone to bed after they had said good bye to Brennan and Booth. They were leaving early in the morning, and Booth had thought it would be a good idea if they just said good bye that night.

Now the adults sat around on the verandah, sharing a bottle of wine and watching the sparkling night.

'You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Tempe,' Al said, his voice thick with emotion.

'I've gotten my life back, now,' He added, and Booth heard the clink of a glass being placed down on the table.

'I would do almost anything for you, Al, you know that. I'm glad things are better for you both now.'

They were all silent for awhile, before Booth quietly asked a question.

'Do you think you'll adopt another child?'

There was a pause before anyone spoke.

'Absolutely mental idea,' Al said, and Booth could hear the smile in his voice. 'Did you see how much of a handful Ella was tonight?'

The mood of the night changed, and the rest of the evening was light.

.-.-.-.-.

Their alarm clocked buzzed, and Brennan woke quickly, her eyes bright. She quickly hit the alarm to stop the incessant buzzing, before resting her head on Booth's arm again, enjoying the warmth of his body, the way she felt so safe with him. She knew it was a silly concept, that she had nothing to fear. Yet she couldn't deny this feeling of safety.

She shifted so that she could kiss him awake, loving the way she felt him smile into her kiss.

She leaned back, looking at him.

'Good morning, Booth.'

'Morning, Bones. Sleep well?' He asked, leaning up to kiss her again.

'Very well,' she replied. She looked into his eyes, and she wanted to tell him those words. But he interrupted his train of thought.

'Do we have enough time for a repeat of yesterday?' He asked, referring to their shower escapades yesterday.

She just grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of bed, leading him to the shower.

'You're insatiable,' she said over her shoulder.

He grinned, putting his hands around her hips and picking her up, nuzzling his mouth into her neck, before whispering in her ear –

'And you love it,'

He was right. She did.

.-.-.-.-.

There flight was called over the sound system, and yawning, Booth and Brennan got out of the uncomfortable seats, turning to face Al, who had driven them to the airport.

He didn't say anything, just reached for Brennan and gave her a huge hug.

'Thank you again, Tempe. And please, come visit us all again soon.'

Brennan kissed his cheek, smiling at her old friend.

'I'll try, Al,' she said, before gathering up her coat and handbag.

Al smiled at her again, before turning to Booth, his hand extended.

'And you too, are welcome back anytime, Seeley. Thanks for everything you've done for my family,'

Booth smiled, shaking Al's hand. 'I hope to see you soon, Al.'

Al grinned, letting Booth gather his things and watching them as they walked away. Before they disappeared into the terminal, they turned to give him one last wave.

.-.-.-.-.

They settled themselves on their first class seats, and for once Booth was slightly put out by the roominess of the cabin. He wasn't really going to be able to snuggle up to Brennan on the trip home due to the distance between the seats.

He reached out for her hand, and she turned to smile at him.

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and Booth knew better than to distract her when she was looking thoughtful.

Finally, she broke out of her reverie by lifting her hand to his face, and stroking his cheek with such tenderness he just wanted to scoop her up in his arms and hold her tight to him.

'I just wanted to tell you, that I do... love you, Seeley. I love you.'

He was taken aback, but couldn't have felt better. He held her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips to kiss.

'I know, Bones.'

She sat back, looking proud of herself. And Booth was more proud, and overjoyed than he could have ever imagined possible.

He grinned to himself, sitting back a moment before he leaned over to her, kissing her on the cheek.

'I love you too, Temperance.'

_The End._

* * *

I know, I know. Corny stuff. But it makes me happy to end on that note :)

Please review! If you've read the story from start to finish, please make this writer very happy and leave me one last review. They make my day!

Thank you for reading!


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